Dodgers Reportedly Acquire Howie Kendrick From Angels For Andrew Heaney

Christmas has come early for Dodger fans. I complained that the Dodgers hadn’t done anything at the winter meetings and the Dodger’s front office responded by saying, “Oh yeah? Watch this!”. There is no question that the Dodger’s new think tank is putting their unforgettable mark on the game’s market. Now we get more news coming in. The Dodgers are acquiring second baseman Howie Kendrick from the Angels for pitcher Andrew Heaney, according to Ken Gurnick, and Ken Rosenthal.

The deal is a straight one for one swap. Heaney was just acquired in the huge seven player trade with the Marlins that sent Dee Gordon, and Dan Haren to Miami for a package of four players which included top prospect Andrew Heaney. Also included in that deal was catcher Austin Barnes, pitcher Chris Hatcher, and minor league utility guy Enrique Hernandez.  The brain trust then flips Heaney to the Angels for Kendrick. These guys are good.

The Dodgers are acquiring a player I have had my eye on for a few years now. I’ve always liked Kendrick, who has been a solid all around player with the Angels.

Kendrick is 31 years old, and drafted by the Angels in the tenth round of the 2002 draft. Kendrick has played his entire career with the Angels, debuting in 2006. The right handed hitter batted .293 with seven home runs and 75 runs driven in, while posting a .347 OBP in 647 plate appearances in 2014. He posted a .744 OPS while scoring 85 runs.

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Kendrick has gone on to bat .292 during his MLB career while hitting 78 home runs and averaging 180 hits per year. Kendrick is a solid contact hitter who runs the bases well. Kendrick has four seasons of 14 stolen bases.

Kendrick has experience playing in left field and at first base, but excels at the keystone. He’s posted a career mark of +35 total zone fielding runs above average, and has 27 defensive runs saved.

Kendrick is finishing up the final year of a four-year 33.5 million dollar contract. He made 9.3 million dollars in 2014, and is owed 9.5 million in 2015. Kendrick hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and you can find him on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/HKendrick47

So it looks like the Dodgers will have a new double play combination of Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick, unless something else changes within the next ten minutes or so. Because if we have learned anything about the brain trust tonight, it’s that they sure know how to make an impression.

You can bet dollars to donuts that this won’t be the last move they make. Buckle up Dodger fans, this is bound to be a wild ride.