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The Phillies have acquired infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick from the Dodgers, per a club announcement. First baseman Darin Ruf and second baseman/outfielder Darnell Sweeney will head to Los Angeles in return.
Still, adding the veteran would seem to make it somewhat more likely that the Phils would feel comfortable parting with Cesar Hernandez, the incumbent at second. Hernandez, 26, added on-base ability to his speed and defense in 2016 for a surprisingly excellent campaign. With three years of control remaining, he is a rather appealing potential trade piece — not least of which since he has also spent time at short and center. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that Hernandez drew strong interest at the GM Meetings, and while Kendrick may not currently be slated to step right in to replace him, it remains plausible that the Phillies could look to cash him in at some point over the coming months.
[RELATED: Updated Phillies & Dodgers Depth Charts]
Regardless of precisely how he fits, Kendrick will provide the Phillies with just the kind of veteran presence they entered the offseason in search of. And he’ll do so without requiring a multi-year commitment. If all goes well, he’ll bounce back after an uncharacteristically poor season at the plate. Kendrick ended with a .255/.326/.366 batting line, with eight home runs and ten steals, over 543 plate appearances. That was easily the worst full-season effort of his career.
If Kendrick can regain his form, he’ll help the team improve its level of play and may even turn into a trade or (perhaps less likely) qualifying offer candidate. There is some reason for hope. He maintained a strong 33.8% hard-hit rate even as his typically high BABIP dipped to .301 — easily a career-low. And Kendrick managed to boost his walk rate to a career-best 9.2% while maintaining his characteristically palatable strikeout numbers (his 17.7% K rate last year landed just north of his 17.2% career rate).
For the Dodgers, the swap was more about clearing payroll and roster space — particularly after Kendrick expressed disappointment with his usage. Now, the team’s needs in the corner outfield, and at second and third base, are all the more pronounced. Already a lefty-leaning club with the bats, Los Angeles seems primed to pursue right-handed hitting in more than one area this winter. But while the return wasn’t the driving force here, there’s reason to believe it could deliver some function, especially for the always-clever Los Angeles front office.
Ruf, 30, is perhaps likeliest to make an impact. He had a short and forgettable MLB stint last year, but raked at Triple-A and owns a .299/.379/.542 lifetime slash against left-handed pitching. True, the right-handed hitter has been sub-par without the platoon advantage, and contributes nothing on the bases or in the field (though he can play some first and, at least in limited doses, the corner outfield). He’s also out of options. But the Dodgers have a number of flexible assets and may like the idea of allowing Ruf to spell Adrian Gonzalez at first base and function as a right-handed bench bat — or, at least, giving him the chance to unseat Scott Van Slyke in such a role in camp.
Sweeney, too, has some potential uses. The 25-year-old switch-hitter, who originally came to Philadelphia from Los Angeles in the Chase Utley deal, is capable of playing all over. He didn’t hit much in a brief MLB debut in 2016, and struggled last year at Triple-A. But he has shown better at times in the past, even flashing double-digit home run power and real stolen base potential in several separate seasons, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he found his way onto the Dodgers’ roster at some point. Doing so would mean adding him back to the 40-man, as he had been outrighted by the Phils, but that too increases his appeal at this stage since he won’t occupy a roster spot upon his arrival.Comment -
Kendrick wanted a trade not sure he wanted to go to philly .
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Blue Jays signed Kendrys Morales to a 3 year $33M deal. Bautista and Encarnacion are both pretty much gone now. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...onto-blue-jaysComment -
Any chance Cubs will try to get SaleComment -
It would be so fun to be Ricketts w that roster.Comment -
The Blue Jays have interest in free agent utilityman Steve Pearce, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Pearce played DH, first base, second base and both outfield spots in 2016, also briefly appearing at third. Rosenthal notes, though, that the Jays could be interested in the right-handed Pearce (a career .269/.353/.499 hitter against lefties) as a platoon partner for Justin Smoak at first base. Pearce could also give the Jays insurance policies at a number of positions, given the potential departures of Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Saunders and Jose Bautista to free agency.
Pearce underwent forearm surgery in September, and his recovery time then was estimated to be four to six months. Any team signing him would surely have interest in how he’s progressing toward a return, since it appears there’s a possibility the injury could delay the start of his season. Even so, Pearce’s versatility and productive bat (he hit .288/.374/.492 in 2016 for the Rays and Orioles) would make him a solid complementary piece for many teams. MLBTR ranked Pearce the 42nd-best free agent available this winter, projecting he would receive two years and $10MM.Comment -
bautista is over rated as far as im concernedComment -
108-year-old fan waited entire life to see Cubs win it all
Mabel Ball waited her entire life to see the Cubs win the World Series. Ball was born in 1908, the year the Cubs last won the World Series prior to 2016, and died of a heart attack just six days after the Cubs beat the Indians in the World Series.Comment -
Haha, funny story, 108 must be living right.Comment -
Bautista had his window, closing fast though.Comment -
Tim Tebow went 2-for-3 in Monday's Arizona Fall League game. It marked his first multi-hit game in the AFL and lifted his average to .185. Scottsdale concludes AFL play on Thursday.Comment -
Dexter Fowler has officially declined the Cubs one year qualifying offer and is a free agent. Fowler is even more attractive this winter coming off a World Series win combined with a .393 on base percentage which included a .479 mark in the first inning. He didn't get the big multi year offers last offseason but in a weaker market he should be attractive to a number of teams.Comment -
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Jeremy Hellickson is accepting the Phillies’ 17.2 million qualifying offer for 2017. (Getty Images) It’s the day for baseball fans to remember just how good their favorite athletes have it. It’s qualifying-offer day, the day upon which a handful of impending free agents turn down one-year, $17.2 million contracts from their soon-to-be-former teams.
That, of course, is only a fraction of what players such as Yoenis Cespedes, Edwin Encarnacion and Kenley Jensen are about to make as free agents on the open market. The qualifying offer is the closest thing MLB has to the NFL’s franchise tag, although with one key difference: would-be MLB free agents have an option to accept or reject the offer. So in most cases, this is just a formality. Free agency is worth a lot more.
As the 5 p.m. ET deadline to accept or reject passed, we learned that two of 10 players accepted qualifying offers: New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
The news that Walker had accepted came right as the deadline passed from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Walker had a productive season with the Mets, but it ended early when he needed back surgery. Taking a one-year deal worth $17.2 million would give him a chance to get paid well while rebuilding his value and hitting the open market again next season.
The news on Hellickson came earlier in the day from Jon Heyman of FanRagSports and our own Jeff Passan:
Hellickson revived his career in Philly last season, going 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA. That was enough, along with a weak free-agent class, to make him No. 9 on Passan’s top free-agent list. But the fact is, Hellickson’s body of work isn’t going to earn him a huge payday. Another good season might.
Here’s the full list of decisions:
• Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: Rejected (according to Heyman)
• Yoenis Cespedes, Mets: Rejected (according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman)
• Ian Desmond, Rangers: Rejected (according to Sherman)
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: Rejected (according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo)
• Dexter Fowler, Cubs: Rejected (according to Heyman)
• Jeremy Hellickson, Phillies: Accepted (according to Passan)
• Kenley Jansen, Dodgers: Rejected (according to Heyman)
• Mark Trumbo, Orioles: Rejected (according to Passan)
• Justin Turner, Dodgers: Rejected (according to Heyman)
• Neil Walker, Mets: Accepted (according to Sherman)
Before last season, no player had ever accepted a qualifying offer until Matt Wieters, Colby Rasmus and Brett Anderson did. This year the free-agent market isn’t fantastic, which made a few of the qualifying-offer cases even more curious.
The implications here go beyond a player saying “yes” or “no” to a $17.2 million check next season. It’s also about draft picks. The team that extends the qualifying offer gets draft-pick compensation if the player signs elsewhere. The team that signs him forfeits their first-round pick in the 2017 draft (unless it’s a top-10 pick because those are protected, in which case it would be a second-round pick). That makes the price for some good but not elite free agents — like Hellickson, for example — higher than just dollars alone.Comment -
Dexter is decent, but will def get paid.Comment -
Tigers starter Michael Fullmer wins the AL ROY. Gary Sanchez probably would have won instead if he played another 60-70 games. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...ue-rookie-yearComment -
Watching what will happen to Ivan Nova
he was quietly the best starting pitcher acquired at the trade deadline last yearComment -
Oversaturated sluggers market could leave good hitters disappointed
So many DH, first base and corner-outfield types available, so few teams looking for one. Jose Bautista & Co. might be underwhelmed by what comes next.Comment -
Talk about White Sox ace Chris Sale figures to be persistent this winter whether he gets moved or not, and FOX’s Ken Rosenthal has the latest installment in his newest notes column. Rosenthal echoes yesterday’s report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the Nationals are interested in Sale and adds more context to the matter. Per Rosenthal, the Nats would shut talks down if the Sox were insistent on Trea Turner’s inclusion in the deal, but they have numerous other high-end prospects — the Nats are prospect-rich with names like Victor Robles, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, among others — that could entice Chicago. While the Nats have more glaring needs (catcher, center field), they’ve expressed interest in both Sale and Chris Archer of the Rays (and other Tampa Bay starters) with an eye toward further deepening their rotation to maximize their postseason chances. Rosenthal reminds that the Nats appeared to have a stacked rotation even when they signed Max Scherzer, and the NL East is continually improving, putting more pressure on GM Mike Rizzo and his staff.
A few highlights from the column, which I’d recommend checking out in its entirety…
- The Blue Jays are still seeking a left-handed-hitting outfielder, and Rosenthal lists Josh Reddick and Dexter Fowler as possibilities, though Fowler would need to be willing to move to a corner to accommodate Kevin Pillar’s borderline superhuman glove. They’re also in the market for a right-handed platoon partner for Justin Smoak at first base, with Steve Pearce standing out as a possible target. The need for a platoon partner is somewhat counterintuitive since Smoak is a switch-hitter, however Smoak hit just .209/.284/.337 as a right-handed hitter last year and has hit lefties at a woeful .223/.279/.378 clip over the past three seasons.
- Rosenthal lists the Angels’ Tyler Skaggs and Matt Shoemaker as potential under-the-radar trade candidates, speculating that the team could potentially move someone such as Skaggs (as part of a trade package) if it meant landing a premium second baseman like Minnesota’s Brian Dozier. That appears to be a speculative link at this juncture, but Dozier’s name will be a popular one this winter given the Twins’ last place finish and obvious need for pitching. The 29-year-old slugged 42 home runs for Minnesota in 2016 and is under club control for a total of $15MM through the 2018 season.
- The Yankees and Astros are “at an impasse” in trade talks over Brian McCann, though Houston can certainly turn elsewhere in its hunt for catching help and general offensive improvements. The ’Stros were in on Kendrys Morales before he agreed to a his deal with Toronto, per Rosenthal.
- Free agent catchers could come off the board quickly, with Jason Castro and defensive stalwart Jeff Mathis among those drawing strong early interest. Rosenthal points out that last year, Chris Iannetta, Alex Avila, Brayan Pena and Geovany Soto all signed prior to Dec. 1. Castro’s market in particular appears to be fast-moving, as he’s already reported to be weighing offers from three American League clubs and could receive a fourth from Minnesota this week.
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Terry Francona won the AL manager of the year award. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...ger-year-awardComment -
Dave Roberts won the NL manager of the year award. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...l-manager-yearComment -
Both deserving managers.Comment
