As per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the New York Mets have signed veteran outfielder Matt Kemp — most recently of the Cincinnati Reds — to a minor-league contract.
Kemp, 34, was slashing .200/.210/.283 with a homer and two doubles in 62 plate appearances before being released by the Reds on May 4. When released, he as on the injured list with a broken rib.
Last season with the Dodgers, Kemp hit .290/.388/.481 with 21 homers, 85 RBIs, 25 doubles, a .348 weighted on-base average, 122 weighted runs created plus rating, and 1.6 wins above replacement (FanGraphs) over 146 games for the NL West champions.
Kemp accumulated -9 defensive runs saved, a -5.3 ultimate zone rating, and -7.6 UZR/150 over 873 innings in the outfield (357 in right field, 516 in left) before being traded to Cincinnati in December.
The Mets’ starting outfield is currently decimated — Michael Conforto (concussion), Brandon Nimmo (neck), and Jeff McNeil (hamstring) are all currently on the injured list — and some added depth on the cheap appears to be just what the doctor ordered for this organization.
The recent success of Carlos Gomez and Rajai Davis — both on minors deals, themselves — among the bevy of absences helped lead the Mets to a four-game sweep over the Nationals earlier this week.
We’ll keep you posted as more information is released.
