Tony Kemp Rumors: Insider reveals 5 teams that have shown 'interest' in veteran utility player

Free agent Tony Kemp, who plays shortstop and left field, is looking for potential suitors for the upcoming 2024 season. In Jan. 2023, he signed a one-year, $3.725 million contract with the Oakland Athletics and avoided salary arbitration.

According to Robert Murray of the Fansided, Kemp has drawn multiple interest. Teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds are looking to strike deals with him.

When it comes to staying on the field, there are not many who can do better than Kemp. He's one of the five players to stay on the field for more than 2,000 plate appearances since 2016 without spending a day on the injured list. The other four are Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, Nathaniel Lowe and Whit Merrifield.

Kemp batted .209 batting average with 75 hits, five home runs, 27 RBIs and 42 runs scored in 124 games in 2023.

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A look into Tony Kemp's baseball journey

Hailing from Franklin, Tennessee, Tony Kemp played college baseball at Vanderbilt University. He was named the SEC Baseball Player of the Year in 2013 and was picked in the fifth round by the Houston Astros in the 2013 MLB draft.

After starting the season with Fresno in 2016, Kemp got a call for the majors. He made his debut on May 17, 2016, after Carlos Gomez was designated for assignment. With the Astros in 2016, he batted .217/.296/.325 with one home run in 136 plate appearances while predominantly playing left field.

Although he didn't play in any games for the 2017 Houston Astros, who won the World Series, he was part of their 40-man roster in the postseason. His 2019 season with the Astros ended in disappointment.

Before being traded to the Chicago Cubs, he had a 227/.308/.417 batting line in 163 at-bats and a career-best seven home runs in 66 games. In 2019, with the Cubs, he batted .183/.258/.305 with one home run in 82 at-bats.

Tony Kemp was dealt to the Athletics for the 2020 season and stayed with them till 2023 before heading to free agency. Kemp's batting average was .240, with 307 hits, 20 home runs, 114 RBIs and 172 runs scored in 451 games for the Athletics.