With spring training less than three weeks away, the remaining unsigned free agents are staring to scramble for jobs. Teams are looking to score some bargains as well. Could that lead to a reunion between the Dodgers and Howie Kendrick? Possibly.
Sources: #Dodgers considering Kendrick. Not ideal fit with Kiké, Utley at 2B. Greater need for depth at 3B; Turner coming off knee surgery.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 29, 2016
The Dodgers made Kendrick the qualifying offer earlier this offseason, and his market has been surprisingly quiet. The Diamondbacks reportedly had some interest a few weeks ago, but they don't want to forfeit the draft pick. (Kendrick would only cost them a second rounder after they gave up their first for Zack Greinke.) The Nationals also had interest before signing Daniel Murphy.
Kendrick, 32, had a typical Howie Kendrick season at the plate in 2015. He hit .295/.336/.409 (107 OPS+) with nine home runs in 117 games -- it was his fourth straight season hitting between .287 and .297 -- while missing time with a hamstring problem. The various fielding stats say his defense took a slight step back and was closer to average.
There is always going to be risk associated with players over 30, especially middle infielders who have taken a beating turning double plays over the years. Second basemen are known to fall off a cliff around age 32-33. But still, a reunion with Kendricks makes sense for the Dodgers. Here are four reasons why.
1. Their second base situation isn't so great.
The Dodgers currently have a Chase Utley/Enrique Hernandez platoon penciled in at second base, which seems like one of those things that sounds good enough in December and January and awful in May and June.
Utley has had a phenomenal career, but he is 37 and he hit .212/.286/.343 (73 OPS+) last year, including .221/.286/.366 (81 OPS+) against righties. Hernandez is only 24 and he did hit .307/.346/.490 (130 OPS+) last year, though that's largely built on his small sample success against lefties (234 OPS+ in 84 PA). Righties chewed him up (64 OPS+ in 131 PA).
It's hard to know what to expect from both Utley and Hernandez this coming season. Utley is near the end of the line and what happens when Hernandez gets more playing time? Even if you fully buy into him being a legitimate platoon option, there's still room for improvement here. The team's second base situation is questionable.
2. The Dodgers lack infield depth.
Right now the Dodgers have the always reliable Adrian Gonzalez at first, Utley/Hernandez at second, the ultra-promising Corey Seager at short, and Justin Turner at third. As Rosenthal noted, Turner is coming off knee surgery, and the Dodgers always managed his playing time carefully anyway. He rarely started more than four days in a row in 2015.
Behind that starting infield the Dodgers have Micah Johnson, who came over in the Todd Frazier three-team trade and has never played a position other than second base in his pro career. They also have Alex Guerrero, who didn't at all after April (.585) and is one of the worst defensive players in baseball. He's played mostly third base and also some left field, and is a total butcher at both spots.
That's it among 40-man roster infielders. The Dodgers brought in Charlie Culberson and Elian Herrera as non-roster invitees, and they still have Erisbel Arruebarrena in the organization, though there's a clear lack of depth here. Hernandez is currently the backup shortstop and backup third baseman in addition to his platoon duty at second base.
3. The Dodgers could use one more bat.
At the moment, the Dodgers have a regular starting lineup that looks something like this:
- RF Yasiel Puig
- SS Corey Seager
- 1B Adrian Gonzalez
- 3B Justin Turner
- LF Carl Crawford/Andre Ethier
- C Yasmani Grandal
- CF Joc Pederson
- 2B Enrique Hernandez/Chase Utley
Grandal (shoulder) and Turner (knee) are coming off offseason surgery, Pederson vanished in the second half last year, Puig was merely good but not great around his hamstring issues, and who knows about the second base platoon. And as promising on Seager looks, he has yet to play a full big league season.
FanGraphs projects that lineup to score 4.27 runs per game 2015, which ranks middle of the pack among the 30 clubs. There's a lot of upside in that group -- Pederson and Puig could bounce back, Seager might be great, Grandal mashed when healthy -- but also more downside risk than I think the Dodgers are comfortable with. Bringing Kendrick back adds a solid and versatile bat new manager Dave Roberts could hit anywhere in the order.
4. The NL West figures to be tougher in 2016.
Both the division rival Giants and Diamondbacks improved this offseason. San Francisco brought in Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto, as well as Denard Span. The D-Backs poached Greinke from the Dodgers and also brought in Shelby Miller. Those are considerable upgrades.
There are reasons to believe the Dodgers are still the favorites in the NL West. The division does look like it will be tougher in 2016 than it was in 2015 though. Every win the Dodgers add to their roster -- ZiPS projects Kendrick as a +2.3 WAR player in 2016 -- improves their chances of winning the NL West, and when you have Clayton Kershaw in his prime, the front office's priority should be making every possible upgrade. The Dodgers are in win-now mode. They should be going for it.
