Are the Seattle Mariners and Matt Kemp destined for one another?

From Jay Bruce to Edwin Encarnación, the 2019 offseason saw the Mariners acquire several players who always felt destined to land in Seattle at some point in their careers.

With Matt Kemp being released by the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, the possibility to complete Jack Zduriencik’s dream team is very much alive. Dingers, errors, and strikeouts are just what the 2019 Seattle Mariners do, and Kemp perfectly fits that criteria.

Kemp was also heavily rumored to be of interest to the Mariners when Zduriencik was still at the helm. It made some sense for the vision of that team, which went on to feature an outfield of Seth Smith, Austin Jackson, Justin Ruggiano, Nelson Cruz, Dustin Ackley, and Rickie Weeks. So… yeah.

Four seasons and some change have passed since then, and Kemp has remained an above-average offensive contributor while giving little-to-no value in every other facet. In that time, Kemp has been traded three times: from the Dodgers to the Braves, then back to the Dodgers, and eventually the Reds.

The moves were a culmination of many factors, including a surplus of outfield talent in Los Angeles, but they really boiled down to one thing: getting Kemp’s enormous contract that saw him make north of $21 million per year off the books. As a part of Kemp’s most recent trade, the Dodgers ate $7 million of his 2019 salary while the Reds ate the remaining $14.5 million.

With Kemp’s release, the Reds are eating the rest of that. This was the last year on Kemp’s deal, so it was ultimately a sunk cost for Cincinnati in the end, who, in the end, failed to find a trade partner for Kemp or didn’t even bother to try in the first place.

Given the money involved and the poor start Kemp has gotten off to in 2019, it’s reasonable to assume the interest in him was zero. No team would be willing to part with any of their resources or enter negotiations on the money that would potentially change hands. With Kemp’s release now, none of that comes into play.

What makes Kemp so intriguing is that, while he’s certainly far removed from the MVP-caliber potential he had in the late 2000s/early 2010s, he’s never truly had a bad year at the plate.

Statistically, his worst came with Atlanta in 2017, where he posted a below-average 98 wRC+. But even then, he still managed to slash .276/.318/.463 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs. Definitely not strong numbers, but not abysmal either.

In his return to Los Angeles last season, Kemp exploded for a 122 wRC+ with 21 home runs and 85 RBIs. His efforts earned him a spot in the National League’s starting lineup in the All-Star Game. But a bevy of young outfield talent and the hopes of landing Bryce Harper forced Kemp to Cincinnati, along with Yasiel Puig.

Kemp’s time in Cincinnati came to an abrupt end after the 34-year-old landed on the Injured List with a rib injury. It’s been a rough start to the year for Kemp, who saw limited playing time in a crowded Cincinnati outfield and floundered in the few opportunities he received.

So why would the Mariners be interested in a 34-year-old outfielder with an average bat and no defensive value? I mean, when you put it like that, he sounds kind of perfect for the team they’ve constructed this year.

All jokes aside, it’s not a great fit. The Mariners already have three players that pose similar traits in Daniel Vogelbach, Jay Bruce, and Edwin Encarnación. All three players have little value outside of the batter’s box, and therefore aren’t ideal bench pieces. The same goes for Kemp.

Is there a way the Mariners could make it work? Sure, but it would require a sacrifice they just can’t afford. That would be the demotion of Braden Bishop, one of their very few above-average defenders. And while Seattle’s bats have hit a bit of a dry spell, they aren’t starved for offensive talent at this point. They are, however, in desperate need of defensive upgrades in several spots.

Kemp is just a bat at this point, and even that isn’t working for him so far this season. I do think he’ll turn things around at the plate this year, but it’s not going to be in Seattle, even though it’s really fun to think about.

There is always the outside chance that Kemp could sign a minor league deal with the Mariners, which should be welcomed with open arms if the opportunity presents itself. But the odds of that happening are slim, as Kemp will likely receive major league interest from several teams.

Somewhere, Jack Zduriencik watches on with a single tear rolling down his cheek.