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« Odds and Ends: Fukudome, Eckstein, Lowell | Main | Nationals Still Pursuing Dukes »
Brewers Sign Jason Kendall
UPDATE: It's a one-year contract with a vesting option for '09 if he plays 115 games.
The Brewers have signed Jason Kendall, pending a physical. The amount and length is unknown. Let's hope it's around one year, $3MM. Tom Haudricourt had said the Crew had offered both one and two-year options.
Kendall, 33, hit .242/.301/.309 last year in 466 ABs. On the plus side he was a much better hitter for the Cubs, posting a .362 OBP in that stint. He threw out 15.3% of runners, better than only Johnny Estrada among regular backstops in '07. He's going to really have to work some magic with the pitchers if this signing is to pan out.
With Kendall off the market, the only viable free agent catchers are Michael Barrett, Paul Lo Duca, and Yorvit Torrealba. Seems like the Marlins and Rockies will take two of them.
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Despite his downsides, look at the A's era while he was there and once he left, his greatest asset is calling the game.
Posted by: dybbuk | November 21, 2007 at 04:26 PM
Woohoo!! The Cubs get a sandwich pick for Kendall!
Kendall does handle a pitching staff well, but his inability to throw out runners gets old fast. Though, the Brewers had Estrada last year, so they should be used to be run all over.
Posted by: Pilk12 | November 21, 2007 at 04:32 PM
Hmmm the catcher ERA stat...questionable in its validity...
Posted by: Tim Dierkes | November 21, 2007 at 04:38 PM
This is a big gamble... Career numbers have him throwing out 28% of runners. For some reason, I guess we're betting that he'll mean revert?
Posted by: Mykenk | November 21, 2007 at 04:49 PM
If the Cubs had an offer on the table for Kendall, maybe they will be in the market after all for a short-term C. My guess is that Yorvit goes back to the Rockies, Barrett signs with the Marlins and the Cubs ink Lo Duca to a one year deal.
Posted by: WestCoastBias | November 21, 2007 at 04:55 PM
Why wouldnt the cubs just sign a backup guy and let Soto have a shot? I dont know anything about his defense but he can rake no?
Posted by: nrmax88 | November 21, 2007 at 05:10 PM
nrmax,
Soto is more of a one year wonder at this point. Which doesn't bode well since that one year was at in the PCL, a known hitters league.
http://thebaseballcube.com/players/S/Geovany-Soto.shtml
Posted by: ozziethesaint | November 21, 2007 at 05:16 PM
I think they're going with Soto and Blanco. Should be a decent combo, and really good if Soto somehow keeps smacking the crap out of the ball.
Posted by: gogopalehose | November 21, 2007 at 05:40 PM
There's actually nothing to suggest that Soto will continue that pace though. He more than doubled his career RBI high last season and almost tripled his HR best. I would think he was just a result of the PCL
Posted by: ozziethesaint | November 21, 2007 at 05:48 PM
Yeah, but it was his fourth run through the PCL, correct? He might have turned a corner, but there's also a chance it was a fluke.
Posted by: gogopalehose | November 21, 2007 at 05:53 PM
3rd time, it's just way too big of a jump in production to be much more than a fluke
Posted by: ozziethesaint | November 21, 2007 at 06:01 PM
you are just plain wrong ozzie. He continued to show that he turned the corner in the bigs, and his defense is excellent. He will be an above average catcher, and he will be that next year. Your rants on the Cubs today have grown old...
Posted by: Aduncaroo | November 21, 2007 at 09:42 PM
he isn't going to hit .350 something like he did this year...even though he continued to tear the cover off the ball in the bigs...but he will be very good, and your cardinals will get a large dose of it next year...so don't worry.
Posted by: Aduncaroo | November 21, 2007 at 09:49 PM
by the way...he was the MVP of the PCL...so if its all offense...that must mean a lot considering he was BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THAT LEAGUE.
Ok..I'm done for now.
Posted by: Aduncaroo | November 21, 2007 at 09:51 PM
His OPS went from .740ish to 1.080ish ~ that’s about .340 added from the previous year.
Quite a “corner” he had to of turned ~ one about the size of Florida…
Posted by: darkstar1661 | November 21, 2007 at 10:59 PM
Yea because those 54 MLB ABs are such a great sample size to say he continued anyhting huh Aduncaroo?
When a guy more than doubles his RBI and triples his HR, that's a bit more than turning the corner. Until he proves he will rake like that on a consistent basis then he's a product of the league he's played in.
Oh and every minor league MVP goes on to being a MLB star as well huh?
Posted by: ozziethesaint | November 21, 2007 at 11:49 PM
Keep telling yourself that through your rose colored glasses, ozzie. Whatever it takes to make your team seem bearable.
I'd be much more concerned with your own team than who the Cubs will be fielding at catcher.
Posted by: thenockmlb | November 22, 2007 at 12:05 AM
The A's ERA went up for a few reasons: Brand new catcher who was still learning the pitchers let alone hitters on the other team. Cust "played defense" in the OF. Chavez stopped playing, so did Crosby which made the defense decline a lot. Swisher was our "CF" despite being below average there. Quite a few factors.
Posted by: Droptop | November 22, 2007 at 12:08 AM
thenockmlb,
trust me the last thing i am jealous of is Soto... I wouldn't give up either of our catchers, Molina or Bryan Anderson for anything short of Joe Mauer
Posted by: ozziethesaint | November 22, 2007 at 12:12 AM
trust me ozzie, you will be jealous of Soto by this time next year when comparing him to Yadi...at least offensivly anyway.
Posted by: Aduncaroo | November 22, 2007 at 07:37 PM