Los Angeles Dodgers: Six biggest storylines entering the offseason

5. What the Los Angeles Dodgers want to do with Matt Kemp

Matt Kemp was perhaps the best feel-good story in the MLB last season. Kemp was an MVP-caliber player in his prime but injuries and a massive contract ultimately led to Kemp being traded to the San Diego Padres and then the Atlanta Braves.

While playing on two teams that did not contend, Kemp noticeably let himself go and became one of the worst contracts in the MLB. When the Dodgers and Braves agreed to a deal that brought Kemp back to LA for various big, expiring contracts, the whole world was shocked.

It still seemed to be a move that was a precursor to something else; that the Dodgers would just flip Kemp to an American League team in order to get further under the luxury tax.

Kemp never was traded and was given a chance to play for his spot on the Dodgers. The Dodgers would not have made the World Series without Kemp, who was an MVP candidate after half a season and was the National League All-Star Team’s starting left fielder.

However, Kemp slowly began to come back down to earth and was only used as a pinch-hitter or a designated hitter in the postseason. His defense was simply too costly to keep in the game during the postseason and his bat was not hot enough to replace with someone else.

I love Matt Kemp. I have been on the record as a huge Kemp supporter and I would love to see him in Dodger blue. However, with only one year left on his deal, now would be the time to trade him to open up space for a potential free agent splash.