Padres fans have another reason to dislike Matt Kemp after recent disrespect
Matt Kemp probably should have just left his disappointing Padres tenure alone.
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Matt Kemp's tenure with the San Diego Padres was short and largely forgettable. Formerly one of the better power/speed hitters in the NL when he was with the Dodgers, the start of his time with the Padres got off to a rocky start when San Diego found that Kemp had two arthritic hips in addition to his lengthy history of other injuries, and tried to renegotiate the trade to acquire him.
However, the deal went through, for better or worse, and that is where the trouble started.
While Kemp did hit 46 homers in his almost 1,100 plate appearances with the Padres, his various ailments sapped him of any defensive value and the speed part of his game that made him so valuable in LA. As a result, his contract (even with the money the Dodgers sent over) became a liability for the Padres, and they ended up shipping him to the Braves in 2016.
Now, for some reason, Kemp has decided to drag the Padres' fans and media for (checks notes) ... not calling him out enough for being absolute bad?
Matt Kemp: “When I got traded to Atlanta from San Diego, I was super happy because I wanted to get out of San Diego because it was weird…I was used to being in LA and people hold you accountable, especially the media…I was like I need to go somewhere where it matters”
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) June 6, 2024
(via… pic.twitter.com/lpW9bwQ1qR
Matt Kemp's comments on his Padres exit have raised more than a few eyebrows
In some respects, you do have to respect Kemp's honesty that he was terrible to begin his time with the Padres. In theory, a player that gains motivation to improve from the media pointing out his flaws and lack of performance can be a good thing.
However, Kemp is being awfully disingenuous here. The reason why his time in San Diego was mediocre at best is because of his own injury issues and ability to stay in shape. It isn't like he went over to the Braves and immediately turned his career around because the media held him more accountable. Kemp found himself on the outs in Atlanta as well and got traded back to the Dodgers in what amounted to a salary dump.
In short, Kemp and Padres fans have one thing in common: both sides are glad he ended up leaving when he did.
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