UPDATE: Rollins Deal in Danger?

UPDATE, December 18, 2014, 12:23 PM – Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Matt Kemp trade is being held up by a physical that revealed Kemp has arthritis in both hips. It is unknown if the Padres are still interested in proceding with the Kemp deal which, at the very least, would change the Rollins deal.

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December 17, 2014, 9:20 PM

Things haven’t broken down yet but they have certainly gotten more interesting in the potential deal that would send Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

First, despite being announced a few days ago, the trade is not yet official. The hold up is a deal that would send Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres. One of the pieces headed from San Diego to LA is pitching prospect Zach Eflin, who would immediately head to Philadelphia as one half of the return for Rollins. Seems simple enough, right?

Well, the Kemp deal is not yet official either and has a reported deadline of Thursday. The Padres, as you may have heard, acquired 2013 AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers today in a three team deal. Still following me? Ken Rosenthal speculates that there may be posturing by either San Diego or LA to sweeten either side now that the Padres have an extra outfielder while others have speculated that the Padres may be looking for a way out now that they have acquired a younger, cheaper outfield option.

What does this mean for the Rollins trade? At worst, Rollins will still likely be traded to LA but the Phillies may see a different prospect in return. While Eflin is an enticing prospect, the Dodgers have comparable talent they could ship to Philly instead. In its clearest path, both San Diego and LA take themselves to their deadline tomorrow, agree to continue with the trades as constituted, and Rollins heads to LA.