I cannot take credit for what is already one of my favorite Cubs nicknames ever. The Cubs kicked off trade deadline day by trading heavy legged catcher Martin Maldonado to the Astros for a little fast guy who immediately drew comparisons to a scrub Cubs legend of recent vintage.
Tony Kempana
— Overreacting Cubs Fan (@KamaoleCubs42) July 31, 2019
Tony Kemp is…Tony Kempana. The tiny little utility man was designated for assignment by the Astros on July 25. Normally scooping up some team’s discarded trash is a bad sign, but the Astros actually have the organizational depth that the Cubs pretend to have and sometimes deep teams get into roster crunches and lose a good player.
Kemp is a guy the Astros didn’t want to lose, but unfortunately he’s not really all that good. He’s fast, and a versatile defender who can play second and all three outfield spots. He had a nice year last year in the most playing time he’s ever gotten in the big leagues, hitting .263/.351/.392 in 97 games. He was really good in the playoffs with an OPS of 1.045 in six games.
But he hasn’t been particularly good this year hitting only .227/.308/.417 in 163 at bats. Given how bad the Cubs bench has been this year though he’s an upgrade over what they’ve been running out there (namely Descalso, David).
To get him, the Cubs traded a guy they just traded for. The Martin Maldonado Era lasted just four games, included a couple of really nice throws and a nice tag at the plate, and zero hits. This is his second tour of duty in Houston, and given the other moves they made and the team they have the Cubs probably just got him a World Series ring.
Maybe they can get Kemp one of those Cole Hamels hang loose bobbleheads?
