Should Kemp stay or go?

An interesting article was posted today by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal concerning a never-ending question for the Dodgers: should they hold on to their young stars or trade them for help right now? The biggest name being tossed around is Matt Kemp, who is someone the Dodgers have refused to part with in the past, but are now seemingly more open to at least exploring possibilities of trades.

While the Dodgers are full of other players team would want (Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, James Loney, Andy LaRoche), Kemp is the one that the Dodgers would part with while bringing in the most in return. He has 5-tool ability, but at 23, has been lamented for his lack of quality decision making during games.

Here are a list of suggested players that could be traded in some sort of deal for Kemp:

• Jason Bay, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates - He's still not past the age of 30, and has seemed to regain his power stroke at 14 HR after hitting only 21 last year. His contract would be affordable, at $5.75 million this year and $7.5 million next year. Plus, the Pirates would probably need to throw in something else to get the deal done, such as a pitcher.
• Magglio Ordonez, OF, Detroit Tigers - At 34, he'd be harder to deal for. While his power number are always there when healthy (28 and 139 last year), his contract is hard to work out. Also, he has a limited no-trade clause, but I would think he wouldn't block a trade to the Dodgers. For the Tigers to pull this off, it would take them eating a chunk of his contract and additional players.
• Matt Holliday, OF, Colorado Rockies - Last year's runner-up NL MVP, he's only 28. Like most Rockies' players, he mashes the ball at home, yet isn't nearly as productive on the road. Still, he's full of talent and is a very intriguing player to look into.
• Adam Dunn, OF, Cincinnati Reds - This would be more of a rent for the rest of the season. The story on him is always the same - high power, good OBP, but high K's as well. He's also pretty lousy defensively and has a high price tag at $13 million, so a deal for him appears unlikely.

I'll play the role of GM for the time being. I'd immediately throw the names of Dunn and Ordonez out the window, because of price tag and age. Bay is about the only reason to watch the Pirates, so I like him. I don't think it's fair to totally dismiss Holliday as only a Coors Field-like player simply because I think he's a very good player no matter where he is.

All in all, I have to admit that I'm open to the possibility of acquiring either Bay or Holliday. I know Kemp is young, has all sorts of talent, is a player for the future, yada yada yada. But you know what? This is the Los Angeles Dodgers we're talking about. I'm sick of always saying how their young guys will develop. They play WAY TOO MANY GAMES where they look completely lifeless and pathetic at the plate. I'm sick of it. They have a deep pitching staff and bullpen, yet it doesn't matter because the offense is weak. At some point, they have got to go after someone in his prime who has continually proved he can put up numbers.

Bay and Holliday both fit that description.

If the right deal is there, I say pull the trigger.