Report: Kemp's physical reveals arthritis in hips as deadline to complete trade nears
The pending Matt Kemp trade is in extra innings and down to its final out.
Kemp remains in limbo as of Thursday - one week after the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly shipped the slugger to the San Diego Padres in a five-player blockbuster trade. The delay is said to be a result of Kemp's extensive medical history, which most recently includes surgeries on his shoulder and ankle.
Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports is reporting, however, Kemp's physical revealed severe arthritis in both hips, causing the Padres to consult medical experts as they consider their next move. The two teams reportedly have until the close of business Thursday to complete the trade.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports later noted that teams have up to 72 hours to perform medical examinations, possibly allowing the Padres and Dodgers an extra day to finalize details.
"Everything is OK," Kemp's agent, Junior Spivey, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "We're just waiting on the final details. Should be good to go."
Kemp and his representatives have yet to hear from the Padres since Tuesday's physical, according to Rosenthal, and multiple reports suggest the club is attempting to extract even more from the Dodgers given the 30-year-old's injury concerns. Los Angeles already reportedly agreed to pay $32 million of the $107 million owed to Kemp over the next five seasons.
Rosenthal touched on the potential implications from Nightengale's report:
Information damages Kemp in public realm. Gives appearance of #Padres trying to leverage medical information. And is a violation of HIPAA.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2014
San Diego general manager A.J. Preller figures to have the upper hand in the 11th hour of negotiations, given the Dodgers' reported plan to move pitching prospect Zach Eflin - one of the pieces included in the potential Kemp deal - to the Philadelphia Phillies in order to complete the Jimmy Rollins trade.