Kemp, 30, hit .287 with 25 home runs last season. He was second in the MVP balloting to Ryan Braun of the Brewers in 2011 with 39 home runs, 40 steals and 126 RBIs. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Outfielder Matt Kemp could be headed back to the logjam in Los Angeles after his physical with the San Diego Padres revealed arthritis in both hips.
According to multiple reports, Kemp’s Tuesday physical created pause from the Padres, who pulled the trigger Wednesday on a separate trade to bring Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Wil Myers to San Diego.
The Dodgers agreed to ship Kemp to the Padres along with more than $30 million of his remaining $107 million salary in exchange for catcher Yasmani Grandal, pitcher Joe Wieland and right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin. Kemp and catcher Tim Federowicz were to land with the Padres.
Kemp, 30, hit .287 with 25 home runs last season in a crowded outfield that included Andre Ethier, Yasiel Puig and and Carl Crawford. He was second in the MVP balloting to Ryan Braun of the Brewers in 2011 with 39 home runs, 40 steals and 126 RBIs.
New team president Andrew Friedman was busy in his first winter meetings with the Dodgers, and the Kemp deal was his 10th trade in two months on the job. Since then, the team designated reliever Brian Wilson for assignment, which will cost the Dodgers $9.5 million in 2015.
