He holds value as a backup for certain teams or as a starter on a non contending team that is focusing on picks and the farm. A team like the Orioles as an example.
What purpose does Kemp serve a team like the Orioles? They are the team that wants the prospects - they aren't going to trade prospects for him.
No he could be a throw in with a prospect for a guy like mancini if we needed him. Orioles just one example and perhaps not the best example.
Kemp would probably be claimed off waivers by the Indians, Giants, or Marlins. All 3 of those teams have horrible LF and no ready prospects to bring up. It’s possible one of those teams would be willing to give up a complex league non-prospect for him (which isn’t nothing; Houston’s track record with those types: Francis Martes, David Paulino, Yordan Alvarez...is unbelievable). Otherwise there are a handful of teams that would claim him as a bench piece.
Kemp is still better insurance for another Altuve injury. He can fill in LF-CF if stuff really goes bad with injuries. He's got enough speed to be a valuable pinch runner. He hits left-handed. Hinch and the front office value versatility vs. guys that can only DH or play one position (and the Astros have 3 of those guys now in White/Alvarez/Bradley).
I think Kemp should be kept but he is probably the most likely to be cut at the moment. As much as I don't care for White, he will be here until Correa and Diaz are back. They do not have a back up at 1B. I don't know how healthy Diaz is going to be for the year but man having Encarnacion would have been great.
Kemp and White are wildly different players but pretty close in value, with White getting the nod due to his offensive upside as a middle of the order hitter. Kemp can be an average defender at LF and below average to poor defender at 2B and CF. He offers some baserunning value and puts up productive at-bats by not striking out. But he doesn’t hit for power, has a weak arm, and his routes in the outfield are often inefficient. White can be below average at 1B and passable as a backup or emergency 3B. He offers no baserunning value and (especially this season) strikes out too much. But he can hit and hit for power. Most notably, he’s been hitting extremely well for the last 3+ weeks. When it comes time to cut a position player and there are no guys with options remaining, I think Kemp will be cut loose before White.
Regardless of who they cut, the Astros plan to re-sign them once they clear waivers. The question is, who do you think is more likely to clear waivers. I'd say odds are pretty even... but I would see more playing opportunities for somebody with Kemp's age/skill-set elsewhere vs. White. Kemp's floor is also higher than White's.
Aside from maybe being a little more sure handed in the infield (maybe) does he do anything better than Myles Straw? Straw is significantly faster, has a much better arm, is a better oufielder, and from everything we've seen is pretty much at least his equal in the box. At this point I'm not a fan of White either, he should be gone pretty soon also, but he's shown stretches of being an actual weapon at the plate (and the dinner plate). Plus he's actually played first base, something neither Kemp or anybody else on our roster save for Yuli has ever done
The only way White stays is if they truly can't get anybody else to play first other than Yuli. I thought I saw Reddick there at some point. Hell, if Straw really does have a place in the OF (or if you want to go Brantley-Marisnick-Springer), Reddick isn't going to get AB's any other way. White's bat alone is not enough. I wish it was... and yes, he's come on lately... but he often does just look overmatched at the plate. When the team is healthy, he's not an everyday player other than a spot start for Yuli. He's really not a great pinch-hitting weapon, and he doesn't bat left-handed.
For those saying Kemp should be the one gone now, if we activate George in Kemp’s spot, who is the backup 2B? The only other player who has played any 2B to my knowledge is Yuli and if he had to fill in for Altuve at 2B who plays 3B? I suppose you could put Alex back at 3B and Straw at SS in that scenario, but that certainly isn’t a Luhnow/Hinch type of roster. Knowing they also don’t like to go with 12 pitchers, Jake is the only one who could be gone and not cause other position issues, and they love Jake Gonna be very interesting to see how all of this plays out
Anybody who can play SS can play 2B. They are largely interchangeable positions with SS requiring greater physical tools.
What team is claiming Tyler White if he's DFA'd? Meanwhile, I could see rebuilding teams giving Kemp more AB's and a 2B job.
Neither guy will survive waivers. There are some truly awful teams right now, and 2 guys that have shown flashes of MLB usefulness and lots of team control left will certainly get picked up.
BTW: Bregman has played a little 2B, though he's entrenched at SS until the All Star Break due to injuries and lack of a reliable backup. Kemp is a pretty good defensive 2B, IMO. We'll see, but this could get difficult over the next few weeks.
Certainly? Not sure these two stand out all that much more than any of the other DFA candidates that have passed through waivers. The truly awful teams are experimenting and don't want any players that are out of options. The less-awful, on the verge of rebuilding teams are probably going to be the biggest threats - but they all have better in-house DH/1B options than Tyler White.
Position depth chart of current active roster: C: Chirinos/Stassi (White would be emergency C) 1B: Gurriel/White/Reddick/Alvarez 2B: Altuve/Kemp/Bregman/Gurriel SS: Bregman/Straw (Altuve, White, or Gurriel would be emergency SS) 3B: Bregman/Gurriel/White RF: Reddick/Marisnick/Straw/Brantley/Alvarez CF: Marisnick/Straw/Kemp/Reddick LF: Brantley/Alvarez/Kemp/Marisnick/Straw
Yes, certainly. The Royals are playing the corpse of Lucas Duda on a one year deal. I'm definitely giving Tyler White a chance if the Astros are giving him away. Regardless, until we actually have another 1B, I don't see White going anywhere. We've refused to put Alvarez there when all logic suggests it, so we clearly place some value on perceived defensive competency at the position. Frankly, even if I thought both guys could clear waivers it wouldn't matter. I don't see Kemp ever being any more than a solid bench player. We already have multiple superior versions of him. I still think there's some chance that White may hit enough to be an MLB starter, so losing him would be slightly more risky IMO. Neither guy would be a loss of any consequence to the organization. When we field our October team, they won't be on it.
