Stay away from Kemp and Ethier

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Dodgers will make outfielders Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp available in trade this off-season. 

The Dodgers currently have an excess of outfield depth, with Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, and solid bench players such as Scott Van Slyke and Skip Schumaker. 

Kemp has had trouble staying on the field ever since his solid 2011 season where he finished second in the MVP voting. He has played in 179 games over the past two seasons, hitting .290 with 29 homers and 102 RBI in 739 plate appearances. The two-time All-Star is under contract through the 2019 season, and is still set to earn $128 million. 

He had shoulder surgery in early October, but is expected to be 100 percent by Spring Training. He has also been dealing with possible career threatening problems in his ankle, which doctors expect to continue to get worse. 

Ethier has been swarmed by trade rumors over the past year or so, as he is the most logical player for the Dodgers to get rid of. For the most part, he has been able to stay on the field. In 2013, he hit .272 with 12 homers and 52 RBI in 142 games for Los Angeles. As an 8 year veteran, he has 141 career home runs, along with 587 RBI, and a .288 batting average. The two-time All-Star will earn $71.5 million over the next four seasons.

Both players should NOT be looked at by the Mets this winter. Kemp has had so much trouble staying healthy over the past 2 seasons, and despite being a solid player when on the field, I just don't feel like it's a smart investment to bring him in. The Dodgers will still try to ask for a decent package of prospects for him, so the Mets should not even think about getting him.

As for Ethier, he may make a little more sense, if the Dodgers pay for most of his contract. I've never been a huge Ethier fan, so I definitely wouldn't overpay in terms of prospects. However, if the Dodgers are desperately trying to unload him and are willing to pay, let's say 80-85 percent of his contract, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets land him. However, he would not be my first option, rather a backup player to look at if the bigger names like Shin-Shoo Choo and Nelson Cruz are scooped up.