Report: Marlins, Kemp agree to minor-league contract
Former three-time All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Miami Marlins, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training, where Kemp will be given every chance to land a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, Nightengale reports.
Assuming he plays well enough to make the team, Kemp could fill an important role as a veteran presence on a young, rebuilding Marlins squad. His competition could include former top prospect Lewis Brinson - who has struggled at the big-league level - and Harold Ramirez, among others.
Kemp is looking to rebound after a disastrous 20-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds last year. He was released in May after posting a career-worst .493 OPS with one homer and 19 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances.
He then caught on with the New York Mets but was cut in July after making eight appearances at Triple-A Syracuse.
In Miami, the 35-year-old will be reunited with Don Mattingly, his manager for four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Under Mattingly's watch, Kemp had his finest season in 2011, when he won the NL Hank Aaron Award and was runner-up for the MVP award after finishing one homer shy of a 40-40 season.
Following that campaign, Kemp signed an eight-year, $160-million contract with the Dodgers, but he never again approached the same level of production and was traded four times before the deal expired. He had a brief resurgence as an All-Star after rejoining Los Angeles in 2018, when he helped the club win a pennant by slashing .290/.338/.481 with 21 homers and 85 RBIs in 146 games.
L.A. traded him to the Reds as part of last winter's blockbuster salary dump that also included Yasiel Puig.
Kemp owns a career .285/.337/.485 slash line with 281 homers, 335 doubles, 1,010 RBIs, and 183 stolen bases over 14 seasons with the Dodgers, Reds, San Diego Padres, and Atlanta Braves. In addition to three All-Star berths, he owns a pair of Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.