Last week, GM Dave Stewart told the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro that his Diamondbacks have been in contact with second baseman Howie Kendrick, and today, FOX’s Jon Morosi characterizes discussions between the two sides to be “ongoing.” Nothing is close between the two sides, per Morosi, and it should be noted that Piecoro wrote last week that the D-backs seem reluctant to sign a player that would require draft pick forfeiture, as Kendrick would.
Arizona has a number of infield options already, though presumed starter Chris Owings certainly doesn’t have Kendrick’s track record and is, in fact, coming off a dreadful season that was submarined by shoulder problems. Other internal options for the Diamondbacks at second base include prospect Brandon Drury (though he can also play third base) and struggling veteran Aaron Hill, who has one season remaining on his deal.
Despite the presence of in-house alternatives — at least one of whom, Owings, was recently viewed as a core player in the future — this isn’t the first instance of the D-backs being connected to second base upgrades. Arizona was also said to have discussed a swap of Hill and Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. While that may appear curious at first glance, such a move would’ve saved the Reds quite a bit in terms of salary and relieved some burden from their payroll in the nearer future; Arizona, in turn, would reallocate Hill’s salary to a more productive veteran player. Ultimately, Piecoro reported last week that the D-backs weren’t comfortable with the salary that the Reds wanted them to assume in a Phillips/Hill swap. (And, of course, there’s the question of the trade veto ability that comes with Phillips’ 10-and-5 rights.)
Digression aside, Kendrick would seem to represent an upgrade over what the D-backs have in house. The 32-year-old has batted .295/.340/.414 over the past three seasons despite playing in considerably more pitcher-friendly environments than Arizona’s Chase Field. Kendrick has been remarkably consistent throughout his Major League tenure, providing offense that rates anywhere from a shade below to considerably above the league average when looking at league- and park-adjust metrics such as OPS+ and wRC+. Kendrick has never batted lower than .279 in a full season and never posted an OBP south of .313. His career .293/.333/.423 batting line is impressive and a reflection of his repeated seasons of quality at-bats.
However, Kendrick isn’t without his red flags, either. Much of his value has come from his quality defense over the years, and he took a significant step backwards in that regard last season. Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved pegged Kendrick at -4.5 and -12 runs, respectively, despite his longstanding history of solid glovework. Kendrick, who has also been highly durable, missed more than a month on the disabled list due to a hamstring strain as well. While that incident could very well be isolated in nature, one can’t blame any team for hesitating to surrender a draft pick in order to sign a 32-year-old second baseman with a good-but-not-great bat and possibly deteriorating defensive skills to a long-term pact.
Morosi also notes that the Angels could potentially fit the description of a contending team with a need at second base, though I’d add that owner Arte Moreno’s aversion to the luxury tax would make that a tough fit. If the Angels were to sign Kendrick, from my view, they may as well sign an impact left field bat to upgrade the lineup at that point, shifting Craig Gentry and/or Daniel Nava into backup roles.
That’s to bad they couldn’t land Dat dude
Could the DBacks get creative? Perhpas involving a 3rd team like the Braves with a protected pick. Scenerio: Braves sign Kendrick who is then traded to the DBacks for their competitive balance pick. Dbacks get Kendrick at the cost of a 20 odd later pick than their first and the Braves move their second pick up a few slots. Win win.
That would be ideal, I mean the DBacks have already lost so much in terms of prospect depth so far this season; especially since they were pretty far from the playoffs last season
Except signing HK the D’Backs surrender their 2nd round pick since Zach cost them their 1st rounder…so the only beneficiary is the Braves getting a comp pick for doing nothing then being a player conduit. Why would AZ do that?
Well, they have given the Braves their 1st-round pick from 2013(Blair), 2014(Toussaint), and 2015(Swanson) in a span of 1 year. I agree that this move would make no sense at all, but it is Arizona.
As a Braves fan, hopefully they continue doing business with Coppy and Co.
I believe the CBA prohibits “sign & trade” deals…..so if the Braves sign Kendrick, he can’t be traded until July….(or something like that)
The CBA says that a player who is signed as a free agent cannot be (freely) traded by that team until halfway through the season (81gms). However, that basically works as a no-trade clause, so if the team wants to trade a player who they signed as a FA before halfway through the year, that player has to give approval first.
*in short, every major league free agent contract comes with a full no-trade clause through the first 81 games
Can only do that with Kendrick’s permission, of course. “Sign and trades” are illegal in MLB, although you can try and get around it with a wink and a nod. I suspect even if HK agrees to it, the Commissioner might deep six the trade and leave the Braves stuck with Kendrick.
That’s one of the most ridiculous senerios I’ve ever heard of. If the dbacks want Kendrick they will just sign him, not involve a third team and trade a draft pick. Why would Kendrick do that as well? He wouldn’t sign a contract with the braves to get traded, he would just sign with the AZ.
It is kind of ridiculous but I am sure there is still a prospect or 2 in the Arizona system that Atlanta would like to have. As far as Kendrick goes the Braves could sign him for an above market contract and then pay part of that contract as part of the trade. Would he agree to a sign and trade if he got paid more money? Probably. The problem is as another poster wrote earlier the commissioner would nix that trade quickly. If he allowed it, teams like the Yankees and Dodgers would start signing and trading vets and paying part of their salaries to facilitate trades to low market teams.
I would say that anyone who can put up the line of .293/.333/.423/.755 over ten seasons, with remarkably little variation year to year, swings a great not good bat.
Had he qualified, his .746 OPS would’ve ranked 11th in MLB last year.. His career OPS (..755 would’ve ranked him 10th in 2015.
I think good-but-not-great is a pretty accurate description, especially considering he’s 32 years old.
i’m assuming you mean “among second basemen” with these ranks… you should specify that
As a fan who has seen HK play his whole career I think he rates out better using an eye test then on stat sheet and his stats aren’t too shabby…
.746 would have been tied for 39th in OPS last year.
i think he meant “among second basemen” but didn’t bother typing that part
i don’t even know where you’re getting 39 from, though. it’s not 2Bs (where 11 is correct) but it’s not all hitters either (there it’d be 85th among qualified)
For a 2B, absolutely. There probably aren’t more than 2 or 3 anywhere in baseball who did better, even as recently as last year. At the moment, I can’t think of any …
Credit also given for consistency. The man swings an awesome standard deviation.
Can’t blame them for not wanting to give up another draft pick. Really would make them look like the padres from last year
What other good defense, good offense Free Agent 2B signed with a team and then had all his skills erode as he got older? Clue-he was listed as an option for the Diamondbacks in the article.
Kendrick may be an option for the Angels because he may only require a 2 year commitment of 10-15MM per. What OF would agree to those terms? Cespedes? Upton? Gordon? Fowler?
I would rather have the angels spend the money on cespedes because he won’t cost them a draft pick
1st I don’t see HK settling for a 2 yr deal
2nd I don’t see the Angels surrendering a pick for HK
3rd I don’t see the Angels going over budget for HK
4th Who ever signs HK gets quality player and club house guy (true vet)
Cano?
Maybe they want to move owings back to short because Because he’s a better hitter than Ahmed
Owings is probably a better hitter than Ahmed, but Ahmed is one of the best defensive SS’s in the game.
I’d just stay away from Kendrick, really. Let Owings take over and see if he can rebound. I don’t think Kendrick will be a substantial upgrade over Owings, assuming he can stay healthy.
Aging middle infielders are dicey propositions. There are certainly a few who make it to their mid 30’s with their skills more or less intact, but many hit a wall around 31, 32 and are never the same.
OH THAT’s JUST GREAT…Not Only do they STEAL Greinke from us…But the Newly “CHEAP… We’re Building for the Future Dodgers” are gonna let them STEAL our Second Baseman as wellllll?????
Chill.
Remember when LA STOLE the Dodgers from Brooklyn? Those STEALERS!
In 2017 when the Dodgers have a rotation of Kershaw, Urias, and DeLeon #1 through #3, a 34 year old Grienke making $34+ million a year pitching for a division rival will be a huge blessing. Stewart is wrecking that organization for nearly a decade after this short window closes. I have never seen so much damage done to the future of a team in so short amount of time. Arizona will be remembering the Kevin Towers front office fondly in a couple of short years. Trading a #1 overall in Swanson is foolish to begin with but basically just including him with a quality starting outfielder for a #3 pitcher is boneheaded. He could have gotten a pitcher equal to or better than Miller easily from several teams just for Swanson. Why he continues to trade with the Braves after they rob him again and again is beyond me. As soon as Coppy or Hart is calling with a great trade idea he needs to hang up as fast as he can.
Can I use your Crystal ball after you finish -coffinnail?? Dude why don’t you get it at least a yr b4 throwing in the doomsday forecast.
Btw… They will never remember Towers fondly. He traded away PRESENT ML all star talent, not “What might be” prospects
On the flip side of this, Dansby, Blair, and to an extent, Inciarte, are all unproven. They may turn out to be quality players or they may not. Too much emphasis is placed on prospects when in reality most don’t make a big impact in the majors.
Furthermore, I don’t understand the notion that so many are placing Miller in to the category of a #3 pitcher. The third starter in a rotation isn’t going to pitch six no hitters through at least five innings and give up less than three runs a start 16 times.
The reality is no one knows who got the best of the trade. Not you, not me, not the MLB insiders, no one. Dansby could turn out to be Dustin Ackley and Blair and Inciarte may turn out to be average at best while Miller is pitching at a Cy Young level Or any combination of the three Atlanta players could be stellar for years to come while Miller is saddled with injuries and ineffectiveness. Time will tell.
Hey look, its a fan of a rival team looking at everything through his rose tented glasses or maybe Dodger blue in this case.
Arizona signed at WORST a no.3 pitcher and that’s if his worst production is what you should use to gauge his value. However, his most recent year of activity suggests he will at least be a strong no.2. He also may not be as controllable as Blair but Miller is ready now and still very young.
As for your low-brow opinion of Grienke, Grienke’s not a fast ball pitcher so he puts less strain on his joints. He may give ace quality pitching for 2 or 3 years.
Did the Diamond Backs mortgage their future for a 3 year opportunity? Possibly. Or maybe they didn’t. Three years is plenty of time to restock the farm.
The price for Miller was significant. No.1 prospects actually have a very good success rate when compared the other positions bellow 5. However, if this leads them to championship appearances then I imagine any Diamond Back fan would say the price was worth it.
If the team makes the playoffs a couple times in next 5yrs, then it was well worth the trades/signings. Giving your team a chance to compete is all players
“Why wouldn’t we give up the 13th pick of the draft for Howie Kendrick? The way I see it, Howie Kendrick was traded for Andrew Heaney a year ago. And just four years ago, Heaney was the 9th pick of the draft. That’s who Kendrick is – he’s the 9th pick of the draft. We’d be stupid not to give up the 13th pick for the 9th pick.”
-Dave Stewart
D-Backs already gave up their 13th pick by signing Zack Greinke. So they will forfeit the next pick (37th), should they get to sign Howie Kendrick.