Last offseason after the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman to be their president of baseball operations, he made an immediate splash by trading All-star second baseman Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins.
In return for Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers received Austin Barnes, Chris Hatcher, Andrew Heaney and Kiké Hernandez.
That same day, Friedman sent Heaney, a top pitching prospect, down the 5 Freeway to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for veteran second baseman Howie Kendrick.
The 32 year old has been a model of consistency throughout his career and had another strong season in 2015, although Kendrick spent much of August and December on the disabled list due to a hamstring strain.
In 117 games he hit .295/.336/.409 with nine home runs, 22 doubles and 54 RBIs. In 100 at-bats with runners in scoring position he batted .360, which ranked among the highest in baseball.
In the seventh inning or later with the the game tied, the Dodgers ahead by one or trailing with the tying run at least on deck, Kendrick hit .308.
He was also versatile as far as where he hit in the batting order. He was moved around plenty and continued to produce no matter where he was in the order.
Kendrick hit .326 in 42 games batting second, .281 in 28 games batting third, and .285 in 37 games batting fourth.
Kendrick was a big key in the Dodgers success, as he batted .382 with 44 RBIs in the 62 games he started that the team won. He hit just .185 with 10 RBIs in the 50 games he started that the Dodgers lost.
2015 Highlight
With the Dodgers trailing the Seattle Mariners, 5-4, in the bottom of the ninth and the bases loaded on April 14, Kendrick dropped a broken-bat single into right field of then-Mariners closer Fernando Rodney to give the Dodgers a 6-5 walk-off victory.
2016 Outlook
Kendrick remains a free agent after rejecting a qualifying offer from the Dodgers. Despite Kendrick being open to the idea, it’s unlikely the Dodgers re-sign him, as the are looking to get younger.
Los Angeles will receive a compensation draft pick if and when Kendrick signs with another club; unless he does so after the 2016 draft.
Although he’s currently the best free-agent second baseman available, there’s been little movement on the market for him. It’s believed the Arizona Diamondbacks have some interest, however they are hesitant to lose another draft pick after already signing Zack Greinke.
