DODGERS DODGERS re-sign HOWIE KENDRICK

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by doyerfan, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

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    Ethier is the 1st/2nd best hitter against righties and no way should he hit 8th against righties, and Enrique is arguably the best or second best hitter on the team against lefties and should start against lefties every time and bat 1st or 2nd
     
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  2. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

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    Same here, I feel as if the Bullpen from July on will be fine once some players continue to develop and they can later on include Montas, Yaisel. But would be nice to have a more established reliever from the start to have a comfortable set up guy. Who knows who is out there but a set up guy would end the offseason perfectly
     
  3. blazer5

    blazer5 DSP Legend

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    Well if it were Howie for 4 years 70 plus and loosing the pick vs. 2/ 20 all of us "get the pick guys " would have signed up for 2 years @. 20 of Howie in a heartbeat.

    You can't really call guys out on that because all reports pointed toward Howie getting more years and bigger dollars.

    The fact that he has settled for the current deal was never even speculated as a possibility.

    Again our FO is killing it whether you choose to see it or not.. Blinders are for thoroughbreds who can't run straight. You seem to only run in one direction...see the big picture bruh...

    This FO is new age and see the peripherals...
     
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  4. LASports96

    LASports96 DSP Legend

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    You're right Ethier is a better hitter vs. RHP than an 8th place hitter, just feel like it plays out like that for matchups wise if they're gonna do that again. Also I would say this speaks to the depth of the lineup arguing a guy I put 8th is much better than that.

    And yeah Kike rakes against LHP and could probably platoon more so with Joc now pretty favorably. I'm just hoping Joc breaks out like the player we know he can be and is an everyday guy regardless of others. Again speaks to our quality depth.

    This is a good team people.
     
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  5. LASports96

    LASports96 DSP Legend

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    Also will say I'm probably a bit higher on Baez and Yimi Garcia than others and if they can get a bit more consistent than we're looking really good there anyways.

    Also as you mentioned, Sierra and or Montas could add a positive wrinkle in there too. I don't think the bullpen is bad, just another guy we could really count on in 2016 wouldn't hurt.
     
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  6. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    ...not to forget about our 2nd converted catcher at the back end.
    Once they got Hatcher using his height and the downward plane more he was pretty effective.
    Hatch gonna be alright, took some beat downs last year and still kept his head up and rebounded
     
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  7. Shack

    Shack DSP Regular

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    I like Hatcher on our team going forward but I would love him 10000000x more if he was our 7th inning man as opposed to our set up man.
     
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  8. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    You totally misread my post, and there is no critcism of the F. O. at all. I complimented them in fact, but you are so into comparisons between me and your egocentric of " totally getting it", the English language seems to be null and void with you. You defend them when it's not even neccessary, just to get at me.
    And I " don't call guys out" if it appears to me that attitudes change with the prevailng winds. It's not life affirming for me to be right on here, as it so desperately is for others.
    Reads like you are blinded by your dislike for me, even when I am behind what they did. As I wrote.
    Reading is fundamental. This is a timely, good FO move, imo, and I wrote so in plain words.
    Talk about blinders on...you know the one about glass houses, I assume?
     
  9. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    7th or 8th works for me.
    The 7th is pretty important too...as we surely know with all the 7th inning flame-outs we've had during DBB's tenure
     
  10. VRP

    VRP DSP Legend

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    I love it. Lengthens the lineup and makes the bench much better, my biggest concern was Joc sucking again and having to play Utley every day at 2B, Kiké every day in CF and having no bench. Get a reliever and I'm very happy with the offseason.
     
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  11. blazer5

    blazer5 DSP Legend

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    I never said I don't not like you.. That's school yard shit there..

    You did wonder and I gave you a point of view in which you were not seeing. That's all

    Now think of a clever retort..one that will likely include me and my grasp on the English language.
     
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  12. Chiefdodgerslkrs24

    Chiefdodgerslkrs24 Among the Pantheon

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    nah. Seven mil guarantee. He ain't walking away from that no matter what
     
  13. IBleedBlue15

    IBleedBlue15 DSP Stud

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    Yeah I agree. Do whatever it takes to push Baez out of there (even though I know you like him lol).
     
  14. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    uh, wut? :shocked:

    Dodgers get a great deal on Howie Kendrick, still don't need him
    by Austin Yamada | SB Nation — 2 hours ago
    [​IMG]
    Salesman in the mall: "Excuse me sir, but could I interest you in a 55'' TV?"

    Unsuspecting mall-goer: "Thanks, but no thanks. I already have two halves of a TV that I was planning on putting together to form a somewhat-functional 50'' TV to use for the next year or so."

    Salesman: "Ah, but I know that the left half of your TV always seems to break, and is also hated across the country because it broke another unsuspecting TV last October. Meanwhile, the right half of your TV is quite an unproven model (and enjoys showing bananas). No one seems to be interested in buying my TV at the moment. We can really help each other out here. I know you rented this TV last year, and it was quite comfortable in your home, so I'll make you a good deal. Take it off my hands for 20 bucks."

    Mall-goer: "B-but, but...I just said I have a TV."

    Salesman: "Good, good! Looks like we're all settled then! Here's the paperwork."

    Mall-goer: "Um, okay then."

    This is most likely how the Howie Kendrick negotiations went down. Or, something. The point of this was to illustrate both that the Dodgers got Kendrick for a great deal and that, well, they don't really need him.

    First, here are the details about the contract. The Dodgers signed him for two years and $20 million in total outlay. He also turned down a qualifying offer from the Dodgers earlier in the offseason, and while you may read that the Dodgers are the only team that could sign him without surrendering a pick, that's not entirely true.

    Had Kendrick signed with another team before the June draft, the signing team would've relinquished a pick and the Dodgers would've gained a compensatory pick, no matter which other team signed him. Therefore, it was almost assured that the Dodgers would receive a pick from letting him walk, and they chose to forego that opportunity cost by signing him. Of course, there was also the chance that Kendrick would decide to wait until after the draft to sign, in which case the Dodgers would get no additional pick.

    TL;DR: When evaluating this deal, we find that the cost was less than 2/$20 million and the full value of a compensatory pick, but more than just 2/$20 million.

    Howie Kendrick, as a player, is not hard to quantify. It isn't a Dave Stewart-level hot take to call Howie the most consistent hitter in baseball:
    [​IMG]
    Kendrick has been in the league long enough and refined his approach at the plate consistently enough that one could call his high batting average a skill. His strikeout rate has held stable, and he consistently hits the ball hard and on the ground, which allows him to control his BABIP and keep his average around the steady .290ish area that it has been for many years.

    Remember, batting average isn't as important as OBP, but it isn't nothing. With all things being equal, an OBP with a high average is better than the same OBP with a low average. Plus, a consistently high batting average puts a high floor on a player's OBP. Kendrick is a player who will produce around 10 percent better than the league average at the plate, which is quite useful from the keystone position. Kendrick also hasn't shown any major positive or negative trends in recent years that would suggest he'd be any different of a hitter for the following two seasons.

    The defensive side of the picture isn't quite as pretty for Kendrick. After years of consistently high marks from defensive metrics, most of the metrics, across the board, agreed that Kendrick took a step back on defense in 2015 and was actually below average. This could easily be a blip on the defensive radar, a one-year small sample size fluke. But it is worrying that, as a player turning 33 next season, Kendrick could be beginning to decline defensively.

    Using $7 million per WAR as a conservative estimate for the current going rate of a win on the open market, especially for a team at the top of the winning curve, Kendrick only has to produce about 3 WAR for the deal to be "worth it". Kendrick was worth at least 2.6 WAR every year from 2011-2014, and his 2.1 WAR last season was actually a 2.7 WAR/150, even with the slippage in defense. In other words, if Kendrick stays healthy and gets enough playing time, Kendrick could easily exceed the value of the deal, with a decent chance at doubling it. In a vacuum, this is a great contract for the Dodgers.

    However, the Dodgers don't play baseball in a vacuum. (Thankfully so, because vacuums aren't the most conducive venues for baseball, anyways.) They already have Chase Utley and Enrique Hernandez as options at second base, and though Hernandez could play the outfield, the Dodgers' outfield is even more crowded than the infield. The only area needing depth for the Dodgers is the left side of the infield, and the Kendrick signing doesn't do much to alleviate that. Kendrick has played all of six innings at third base in his career, and that was 10 years ago. He's never played shortstop in the Major Leagues. Utley isn't much of an option at either of those positions either, so unless one of the two becomes much more versatile between now and Opening Day, second base has effectively turned into a timeshare between Kendrick and Utley next season.

    Of course, depth is always good. Injuries happen. Players randomly sucking happens. Baseball happens. Howie Kendrick is undeniably a quality player that will upgrade any roster, and he was had on a contract much lower than his real value. The only oddity is why the Dodgers were the team to give him that contract.​
     
  15. BlueMouse

    BlueMouse 2020 World Champions

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    Thank god for that impossible analogy in the article, because I had no clue what was going on. Having more than one guy who can play 2B was an extremely complicated situation for me to comprehend, but now I get it.
     
  16. jpldodgers

    jpldodgers DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    A really sweet deal for the Dodgers. Enjoyed having Howie last year and am glad he's back.
     
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  17. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    have a hunch utley is going to have a much better 2016 than most expect...

    Utley: Kendrick makes Dodgers a better team
    by Ken Gurnick | MLB.com — 4 hours ago
    [​IMG]
    LOS ANGELES -- Is the Dodgers' depth chart big enough for both Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley?

    Utley on Saturday said that when he re-signed with the club for one year and $7 million, there was no talk of the team bringing back Kendrick. But now the club has a pending two-year agreement with Kendrick to presumably retain the starting job at second base, a position that seemed destined to become Utley's.

    Downplaying any conflict at the Dodgers' annual FanFest on Saturday, Utley said that when he signed, he expected to play second base, third base and first base. Even with Kendrick's return, Utley said that hasn't changed.

    "I have a lot of respect for Howie, the way he goes about his business, having watched him from afar and played with him last year," said Utley. "I think he'll make us a better team. I'll still have an opportunity to play. That's all I ask for, an opportunity to compete and help the team win."

    New manager Dave Roberts said Kendrick also is willing to play some third base.

    "He's excited to be back on board," Roberts said after talking to Kendrick. "Howie is open to playing some third, open to some second. The guys are open to moving around. The big thing is that they buy in to whatever is best for the ballclub."
    [​IMG]
    When Utley was re-signed, Kendrick had rejected the Dodgers' $15.8 million qualifying offer, expecting to parlay a .295 batting average into a lucrative multi-year deal from another team, a deal that never materialized. Instead, Kendrick has reportedly settled for $20 million total over two years from the Dodgers.

    The more the Dodgers realized the severity of third baseman Justin Turner's left knee microfracture surgery, the more appealing it became to re-sign Kendrick, even though management's preference was to pick up a Draft pick for losing him.

    With Kendrick the primary second baseman, Utley's role as Turner's backup at third becomes more critical as the Dodgers realize they must cautiously nurse Turner, at least early in the season. Utley proved to be a quick study at third base after the Dodgers acquired him from Philadelphia during last season's stretch run.

    "I'm sure I'll get more comfortable taking balls there during Spring Training," Utley said. "When Dave calls my name, I'll be ready to go."

    Kendrick is 32 and he missed a month last season with a hamstring injury. Utley is 37 and is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he hit .212.

    Utley said he had not yet heard anything official from MLB about his pending appeal of a two-game suspension received for his controversial postseason slide that broke the leg of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada. Utley said he expects a hearing to be held during Spring Training.​
     
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  18. carolinabluedodger

    carolinabluedodger DSP Legend

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    It could happen, just like I think Anderson is going to have a better year than most expect. I'm not expecting anything out of Utley, so anything positive out of him would make me happy.
     
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  19. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    anderson is another good example
    especially with him pitching in the #4 or #5 spot instead of anything higher
    i think everyone's expectations for utley are so low that even a minimal improvement would be seen as a positive
    no he's not going to be as good as the 2007-09 version, but he's only 2 years removed from batting .270/.339/.407
    i'm gonna go out on a limb and say hey posts numbers closer to his 2012 season, in which he played 83 games; .256/.365/.429
    and even if this doesn't come to fruition and/or he sucks, it's not like we're lacking depth at 2b
     
  20. borat

    borat DSP Legend

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    Howie is a good guy. One of those guys that old southern whites would allow to eat at their dinner table because "he's nice and ain't like the rest of em"
     
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