Cubs Reportedly Deal Outfielder Tony Kemp to A's
By Evan Wolff
Amongst all of the chaos happening in baseball regarding the huge suspensions and dismissals of Astros personnel, there is actual news that doesn't involve an organization being taken down for cheating.
We have a trade!
Tony Kemp has been traded to the A’s, source says.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) January 13, 2020
Chicago Cubs utility man Tony Kemp has been traded to the Oakland Athletics, with the North Siders receiving minor-league infielder Alfonso Rivas in return. This marks the start of Cubs General Manager Theo Epstein's overhaul of a roster that had an extremely disappointing 2019 season.
Per Cubs: They’ve acquired minor league INF Alfonso Rivas from Oakland for Tony Kemp. Rivas is not on the 40 man roster, which now stands at 38 players. (Ironically, Kemp was on ‘17 Astros)
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) January 13, 2020
A key detail in the trade is that Rivas will not take up a 40-man roster spot, possibly leaving the room for more activity in the coming weeks for another addition, especially with numerous high-profile players such as Nolan Arenado on the market.
As for the Athletics, they welcome in a player in Tony Kemp who is well-known for his versatility, and his ability to play numerous positions will have certainly caught the eye of Athletics' GM Billy Beane. Here is an excellent catch Kemp made while playing left field for the Houston Astros in 2018:
Tony Kemp continues to make highlight reel plays on defense. ????
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) June 9, 2018
And we'll have those highlight reels and more on #Astros Postgame ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/wxlb8hzMTA
One thing is for sure: Beane always has his reasoning for acquiring players, and if Epstein is able to clear a roster space for virtually nothing, then it is a win-win trade for both sides.