Email a copy of 'Dodgers "Making Progress" On Howie Kendrick Deal' to a friend
Loading ...
By Steve Adams | at
Email a copy of 'Dodgers "Making Progress" On Howie Kendrick Deal' to a friend
MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com
hide arrows scroll to top
OCTraveler
Great … Too many starting pitchers, a surplus of outfielders, a mediocre third baseman with a bum knee and now possibly 2 second basemen well beyond their prime – great way to enter the season (and this from a 50 year long Dodger fan)
justdadamaja
Turner is mediocre ???
christo14
I didn’t know “too many starting pitchers” was a thing. When did having starting pitching depth become a negative?
puigpower
You Sir take the negativity cake.
restingmitchface
LOL at mediocre Turner. I guess 10th in the league with 4.0 fWAR in only 126 games is mediocre. LOL
A'sfaninUK
You should have seen what people were saying about Cervelli yesterday, the guy had the 2nd best catcher fWAR in baseball last year behind Posey, and played more games at C than Posey.
I don’t know why people would badmouth Turner when Chase Utley is the one who should be retired right now, he’s toast as a big leaguer and has been for a long time now.
BlueSkyLA
Really? Utley has one bad year due to an injury, and right away he’s been “toast for a long time now?” Look again, he was playing at his level until the injury. And this comes from somebody who’d rather not see him as the regular starting 2B. So don’t badmouth Turner or Utley. Deal?
hittingnull
There’s no such thing as too many of any position. It’s called depth and every team wants it.
tommyLA
Kendrick past his prime? I don’t see how this is true. His defensive metrics dropped a little last year, but the bat was consistent up until his injury. He’s still top 10 in the league at second. A platoon between utley and Hernandez is promising too. Having a vet like that I think would be good for the core of youth coming up. I just think he’s looking for a 4 year deal, a 3 year with the last being a club option would be nice.
BlueSkyLA
Kendrick isn’t flashy but he’s been one of the game’s most consistent producers over many years, and we can forget about defensive metrics, they are virtually useless. Defensively Kendrick is again not flashy but average at least. Much prefer Kendrick over a platoon of Utley and Hernandez both of them being more valuable in bench/utility roles. Other than Johnson the Dodgers don’t have much going on the right side so they can afford to sign Kendrick for three years.
22Leo
I agree completely, BlueSkyLA.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
Well for a year or two it makes sense. Why would Kike and Utley being utility guys be a bad thing. Not only that they can give Kendrick, Gonzo, Turner tons of rest. If say Kendrick, Turner, or Gonzo were to get hurt there is cushion there. Pitching surplus does matter they had to use 16 last year. Not only that it’s laughable if you think the bottom half of that depth is actually serviceable In the majors for a WS hopeful team. The of surplus is the only thing that’s concerning. Although signing Kendrick allows you to have greater flexibility in the OF and carry Thompson if he hits out of spring training. If this were to happen CC and Guerrero are more than expandable. The dodgers are eating that 26 mill anyway.
Joe McMahon
Damn, you did not learn a lot in those 50 years. Turner is one of the best players on the Dodgers, Kendrick is still quite good and having “too many” players at a position is a good thing, it’s called depth.
bizzebee
I had much to say about ur comments but looks like it’s been covered by others already.. Guess you haven’t learned much about baseball the past 50yrs..
mack22 2
Boy isn’t that the truth!
22Leo
Honestly, that initial post was just stupid. At your age you should know better, OC.
benharvey26
Meh.. Can spring training just start?
paulslc
Funkhouser goes to Louisville not Ucla
Steve Adams
Blah, brain meltdown. Thank you. Fixed.
paulslc
Funkhouser – Louisville not Ucla
fred-3
After Jimmy Rollins failed experience last year, they should not be banking on an Utley bounce back.
C – Grandal
1B – Gonzalez
2B – Howie
SS – Seager
3B – Turner
LF – Ethier
CF – Joc
RF – Puig
Bench – Ellis (C), Hernandez (2B, SS, 3B, OF), Utley (2B, 3B), Van Slyke (OF), Crawford, (LF). Thompson (OF), Barnes (C, 2B) and Micah (2B) in the minors. That’s a lot of depth.
restingmitchface
How is Utley’s success directly related to Rollins?
You’re right about the depth, though. What the Dodgers lack in superstar production they’ll likely make up for by being so deep and having so few weaknesses.
fred-3
Once you get a certain age, you’re more likely to collapse in production, like Rollins last year and like Utley last year and possibility (most likely) this season.
bravesfanmatt
you guys out righted Beachy the other day.. I would think the Dodger$ are ready to make a move on someone.
A'sfaninUK
I hated the Chase Utley signing but they could cover that with Kendrick, who will still be playing a decent 2B when the Dodgers finally end Utley’s career when they release him in May.
AndreTheGiantKiller
I still dont understand resigning Utley but hopefully he takes over the 2b/3b reserve roll and the trade Guerrero for something. Howie is solid and would be fine on a 2 or 3 year deal (especially with no market, they could get him on a shorter deal).
Utley to the bench and Hernandez to a super utility role. Improves all around.
bigkempin
LA needs a guy like Utley. His bat may be mostly gone…although he did hit .270/.339/.407 11HR/78 RBI and 10 SB’s in 2014 so there is always a chance at a rebound. But he plays the game harder than anyone else on the roster. He’s one of those “old school” guys.
BlueSkyLA
Utley played all of 2015 (when not on the DL) with a sore ankle. Nobody is expecting him to play like he is 28 again but then he was an AS as recently as 2014 so a return to form is certainly not out of the question. The best chances of him rebounding are in a situation where he isn’t grinding his body every day and where he can be used situationally. Having him backing up Turner and Kendrick and appearing mainly against RHP is using him to best advantage.
Cam
Great Post, BlueSkyLA. Absolutely nailed it I think.
DontPush
Get Guerrero off this roster already
rick5ful
I agree
BlueSkyLA
A trade out of spring training seems virtually assured.
Gogerty
Shocked with this news the Diamondbacks have not made more of an effort to move Hill to get Kendrick before LA.
manosthof
So nonsensical. They already have Utley and Johnson… why re-sign Kendrick? I really don’t think it makes sense on the money, or the baseball side. I would let Johnson play. Knowing the Dodgers, they’re probably just going to flip him but I hope this means they plan on moving Kendrick around the diamond so he’d see some time at 3rd and 1st.
Visions_of_Blue_LA
Not really there’s been talk about Johnson continuing to be introduced to the OF. Making him a better hitting version of who they lost in Sweeney. Johnson defensively still needs work. Let him develop more at the AAA level and show he’s over his hamstring issue. Moving Kendrick, Utley, Kike around the diamond isn’t a bad thing.
Cam
Johnson is a prospect – knocking on the door, but you don’t give him the keys yet.
He’s still behind Kike in the pecking order anyway, who absolutely needs at-bats.
pd14athletics
Although it is likely, I don’t think we can just say Dodgers get a pick when he signs elsewhere. He could still wait it out until he is no longer tied to a draft pick. It has been done before and again I agree it’s not likely to happen but at the same time the longer he goes unsigned the likelier it is that it actually happens. Basically I’m just trying to say Dodgers can’t just count a gained pick as money in the bank. If they feel like he is best option out there and he is the one who makes them the best team they can field they should just sign him. They still could wind up with nothing.
stevenlhume
I don’t know if I would call it depth. I hated watching the match-up game last year. Lefty pitching so we go with 7 right handed bats. I just want 8 starters, not 14 platoon players. Howie is a Starter, and a good one at that. The outfield is one big question mark the only fixtures is the line up is A-gon and Turner. Maybe Seager but he is a rookie so who knows what lumps he will take. The conversation has been all winter do you want to win now or set yourself up for later. I say both. The best pitcher in baseball and a roster full of players who could have netted some draft picks with a deep free agents pool. We have to projects in the outfield, joc is Adam Dunn 2.0 and Puig is a handful, pick one to fix and move the other.
22222pete
This seasons FA market for hitters is looking an awful lot like the 1987 FA market when some good players had no market but with their former team. Kendricks, Gordon, Cespedes, Davis and while we don’t know about Kendricks the other 3 signed at well below their projections.
Heyward was the only FA position player do do OK but he signed fairly early.. Upton didnt get what most thought he would either and there didn’t seem to be a lot of teams in on him despite his young age, at least based on the rumors which agents are always happy to spread. Meanwhile the Yankees who are the richest team in baseball sits out the richest FA market in years for the first time in FA history.
Desmond and Fowler still unsigned. Ok , Desmond had a poor 1st half but rebounded nicely in the 2nd half and Fowler has been a 3+ WAR player
It was a strange FA market. MLBPA has to be unhappy although pitchers despite their higher injury risk did quite well, at least if you don’t adjust for payroll inflation and only look at nominal figures of historical contracts
tycobb016
now that mattingly is gone Guerrero should thrive if given a chance, Puig also. donny ballgame constant screaming at Puig for not hustling when Gonzalez loafed his way down the line for years was not good. and Pederson will be fine with that great eye oc his.