Los Angeles Dodgers rumors: Matt Kemp open to trade if not playing every day

The logjam in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfield is well known by now. There are four big names that have presented challenges at times for Don Mattingly as he pens a lineup each day: Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, and Matt Kemp. Puig is permanently settled into a spot in right field, but there is a lot of fluidity in center and left field.

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That group doesn’t even mention top minor league prospect Joc Pederson and the always productive Scott Van Slyke. This has logically led to a number of trade rumors with all these outfielders, and another such rumor has surfaced on Wednesday night.

Kemp used to be the everyday center fielder. When healthy he was a five-tool talent and MVP candidate. Unfortunately a series of injuries have sapped some of those abilities, forcing Mattingly to shift Kemp over to left field when is in the lineup.

Between the position shift and uncertainty as far as his spot in the lineup, Kemp is open to a trade because he wants be an everyday player and to be a center fielder again. His agent Dave Stewart told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports as much on Wednesday night.

"The outfielder’s agent, former major-league pitcher Dave Stewart, told FOX Sports on Wednesday that Kemp again wants to be an everyday center fielder, something that isn’t in his immediate future with the Dodgers.“Whatever they want to do we’re favorable to, as long as it gives him an opportunity to play every day,” Stewart said. “He’d like to eventually go back to center field. He’s not opposed to right or left. But his hope at some point is to get back to center.”"

It looms as quite the challenge for the Dodgers to find a suitor for Kemp because of the money left on his contract. Rosenthal notes that the Mariners and Red Sox were interested this past off-season. Of those two teams, the Red Sox certainly have a glaring hole in center field. Then again, if they think a trade for Kemp and that anchor of a contract is the answer, they have serious problems.

To recap: Kemp is open to a trade because he wants to start in center field somewhere. That part if easy. For the Dodgers to find a team that wants Kemp under those circumstances, however, stands to be quite difficult.