Rumors: Cubs, Yankees Will Have Interest In Howie Kendrick
The Los Angeles Dodgers traded away an All-Star second baseman this winter, and still have zero regrets about the move.
That’s because the second baseman the Dodgers acquired in a separate trade is Howie Kendrick. The veteran second baseman is hitting .292 with 16 doubles, seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 85 games this season. His numbers are right on par with his career numbers of .292, 12 home runs and 75 RBIs per 162 games.
Kendrick is set to be a free agent after this season, something the Dodgers knew before they traded away Dee Gordon in one trade and sent pitching prospect Andrew Heaney to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Kendrick trade. While it’s too early to tell right now, the Dodgers will likely try to re-sign the 32-year-old; however, it appears they could have some competition.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that there is one team with significant interest in Kendrick’s services:
Kendrick, who turns 32 on Sunday, is among the free agents that the Cubs are expected to consider this offseason, sources say.
The Cubs aren’t the only team with interest, Rosenthal reports:
The Cubs, of course, are not the only team expected to show interest in Kendrick. The Dodgers likely will attempt to re-sign him. The Yankees are a possible suitor. The Angels could try to bring Kendrick back. And other clubs surely will be involved.
The Dodgers currently have an infield of Justin Turner, Jimmy Rollins, Adrian Gonzalez and Kendrick. Rollins is also in the final year of his deal, but top prospect Corey Seager is expected to take over shortstop next season. Hector Olivera was also signed to a six-year deal, and he can play second base if the Dodgers decide against Kendrick.
All the talk is a bit premature, as there is another half of baseball left, plus the postseason if the Dodgers remain in first.
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My prediction is the Dodgers will let Kendrick walk. They thought they were upgrading the defense by switching Gordon out for Kendrick, but it didn’t turn out that way. And offensively Kendrick looks a lot better from the angle of superficial stats like batting average, but if you look deeper into his productivity he is pretty average. And heading towards his age 33 season, why would you want to give an average aging player a long term commitment. I’ve liked Kendrick his whole career, and he seems like a great guy, but the Dodgers can do better going forward. They have too many line drive gap hitters, and not enough situational hitters and speed guys.