The Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds have also shown interest

With spring training just over a week away, there are a number of free agents left unsigned. Among them is beloved former Oakland A’s utility player Tony Kemp. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the 32-year-old has a number of teams that are interested in his services for the upcoming season.

The teams that have shown interest in Kemp’s services are the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds. If he receives an offer from each, he’d have his choice between a number of interesting clubs.

In Toronto he would be reunited with former teammate Chris Bassitt, but a fit for regular playing time may not be there with the emergence of Davis Schneider last season at second base, and a trio of solid outfielders lined up.

The New York Yankees could use him as a bench bat, but that would mean leaving Oswald Peraza or Oswaldo Cabrera in the minor leagues.

The Red Sox just acquired Vaughn Grissom in the Chris Sale deal with the Atlanta Braves, so he’s going to be at second. Emmanuel Valdez is projected to be on the Sox bench to begin the season, and he too is a left-handed bat that primarily plays second base but can also roam around the field if needed.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a fairly young team, and Kemp has shown that he is a leader in the clubhouse. While his role on the field with the Pirates wouldn’t be certain, he could provide value to the club by helping with the team’s chemistry.

The Reds would be an interesting fit because they already have too many infielders, leading to Jonathan India being slotted in as the team’s designated hitter. Their second baseman is one of the many rookies that impressed in 2023, Matt McLain. He could be an option in their outfield if they wanted to go a different route from Will Benson, but Benson would also cost less for similar productivity.

He’d also be with two former teammates, Sam Moll and Frankie Montas.

While there isn’t a perfect fit on any of these teams, there is a reason that so many teams are interested in adding Kemp in some capacity. As we already mentioned, he’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse. A number of A’s players mentioned looking to him as a leader during the team’s 50-112 season last year, and told reporters that no matter what was happening, he was always the same guy in the clubhouse day in and day out.

There is also the fact that despite hitting .209 with a .303 OBP, five homers, and 15 stolen bases, the contact he made should have led to much better results. Over at Sports Info Solutions a couple of weeks back, they mentioned that Kemp’s expected numbers included a .273 average, a .743 OPS, and a .384 slug. He was the unluckiest hitter in baseball last season.

That OPS would have been right around India (.746) or Dansby Swanson (.744). That SLG would have been just behind Daulton Varsho, whom the Jays traded some nice pieces to land, and just ahead of Anthony Volpe of the Yankees.

Kemp’s projections for next season over at FanGraphs have him batting .253 with a .336 OBP and being just below a league average hitter. There is value in building up the number of league average or better bats you have on a roster, and when you add in that teammates rave about him, he’ll land a job before long.