Kyle Kendrick Changes Agents

Right-hander Kyle Kendrick has changed representation and is now a client of agent John Boggs, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter).

Kendrick, 31, is coming off a poor season with the Rockies after signing a one-year, $5.5MM contract last winter. As a fifth starter that doesn’t miss many bats, Kendrick and Coors Field always seemed like a poor fit, but he presumably went with the largest guarantee offered to him last winter.

In 142 1/3 innings with the Rockies, Kendrick limped to a 6.32 ERA. His K/9, BB/9 and ground-ball rates each trended in the wrong direction in his lone season in Denver, and he finished the year with respective marks of 5.1, 2.9 and 38.8 percent in those regards. While Kendrick’s season was easily the worst of his career and will hamper his 2015-16 market, he did have a track record as a serviceable source of 25 to 30 starts per year in a different hitter-friendly environment: Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

From 2010-14, Kendrick worked to a 4.33 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate near 46 percent in 835 2/3 innings. He missed some time this past year with inflammation in his right shoulder and has previously spent time on the DL (2013) for the same injury. Still, a rebuilding club in need of some back-of-the-rotation innings could conceivably plug Kendrick into its starting staff as an affordable option, perhaps serving as a bridge to younger arms that need a bit more development time. He may have to settle for a minor league deal and win a rotation spot in Spring Training, though a one-year deal with a lower base salary and some innings pitched/games started incentives is plausible.

Kendrick’s change in representation will be reflected in the MLBTR Agency Database, which contains information on more than 2,000 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any omissions or inaccuracies within the database, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.