It was a three-year hiatus for Kemp. The Dodgers traded him away in the 2014 offseason citing his bad attitude and declining production as the culprits in the decision to ship him away. Kemp found himself as a part of the major roster overhaul by Andrew Friedman.
He was traded to San Diego. Kemp played one and a half seasons for the Padres where in his first year he played well despite being 30 years old. His bat was lively and his defense serviceable, there was nothing to worry about for the left fielder star.
Season two with the Padres was cut in half by a midseason trade to the Braves.