Monday, January 13, 2020

Cubs trade Tony Kemp to the A's

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle the Oakland A's have acquired 2B/OF Tony Kemp for a currently unknown return.

The Cubs acquired Kemp at the 2019 trade deadline and he struggled with the Cubs hitting just .183/.258/.305 in 44 games and 93 plate appearances. He struck out 18 times to seven walks and he had just six extra base hits while going 0-1 on stolen base attempts. Although he graded fairly well in the outfield, he just didn't do enough with the bat.

It was likely going to be difficult for Kemp to find playing time for the Cubs in 2020. David Bote is currently projected to start at second base along with Nico Hoerner and Robel Garcia lurking as options as well. The Cubs also have a significant amount of outfield depth and he isn't a good enough hitter to justify displacing anyone on the roster.

Kemp had a few nice moments for the Cubs, including a big go ahead pinch hit home run against the Cardinals when they still had a chance, but ultimately his short tenure with the Cubs will go down as a disappointment.

Update:

The Cubs will receive 23-year old Alfonso Rivas who was the A's fourth round draft choice in 2018. He spent the majority of the year for the A's High-A affiliate in Stockton where he hit .283/.383/.408 in 114 games and 509 plate appearances. He also received a stint in AAA where went 13-32 with a home run in eight games.

He does not hit for a lot of power with just a .121 ISO for his professional career, but he has a good hit tool and with a 6' 0" 188lb frame he could potentially add more power.

In an interview for A's Farm A's special assistant Grady Fuson said: "Like I’ve always said, power is the last thing to come. And so, we’ll just wait and see on that. But very polished, knows the strike zone, swings at strikes, takes balls, good defender. He’s a good-looking player,"



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