In case anybody has forgotten, Howie Kendrick is still available in free agency. The veteran second baseman was limited due to injuries during the 2015 MLB season, but he still put up solid numbers. Where will he land in 2016?
We've narrowed down his potential destinations to the Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels.
The rumors surrounding Kendrick have been scarce. The Los Angeles Dodgers were possible suitors to re-sign him, but the team already re-signed Chase Utley, have Enrique Hernandez who can play the position, and acquired Micah Johnson from the Chicago White Sox earlier this offseason.
Additionally, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that the team is "pretty set" at second base for the 2016 season.
The New York Yankees were once believed to be a prime suitor for Kendrick, but they acquired Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs earlier this month and no longer need a second baseman.
Here are the predictions for Kendrick's future contract. Also, keep in mind he has draft pick compensation tied to him after rejecting the Dodgers' qualifying offer.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports: four years, $44 million
ESPN's Jim Bowden: three years, $45 million
Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com: four years, $50 million
Take a look at each club that we feel may have the most interest in Kendrick at this point in the offseason.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals need a second baseman. They lost Ben Zobrist to the Chicago Cubs and Omar Infante was statistically one of the worst players in the MLB this past season. However, Kansas City has a complicated payroll situation. They are sitting around $113 million right now, but they need to prepare for the future as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain can become free agents in the coming seasons.
With that being said, it's doubtful Kendrick's price tag stays that high if he remains unsigned as the offseason progresses. Teams will already be hesitant due to the fact they'll have to surrender their first-round pick if they sign him.
In that case, the Royals would be a suitor if they can get him for a decent average annual salary. He'd be a good veteran complement to the rest of the young infield and he can help (in some capacity) replace the presence of Alex Gordon, who is probably going to leave in free agency.
After all, the Royals were linked to Kendrick in trade rumors before the 2014 season, so maybe they're still interested.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-Backs were the most recent team to be linked to Kendrick this offseason. They've been in touch with the second baseman's representatives, but GM Dave Stewart told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, "I just don't know how far we're going to get down the road with that."
The problem is that incumbent infielder Aaron Hill, who plays both second and third base, is signed on for $12 million next season and the Diamondbacks would likely want to get rid of him first before adding more money to the payroll. The team only has $98 million committed to 2016, but the subsequent payrolls from 2018-2020 could reach between $100-$120 million.
Then again, fellow middle infielders Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings performed poorly on the offensive side of the ball. Kendrick batted .295/.336/.409 with 64 runs scored, 9 home runs and 54 RBI in 117 games for the Dodgers and he would provide an immediate offensive upgrade.
This scenario cannot be ruled out because nobody expected Arizona to sign Zack Greinke and trade a ton of assets for Shelby Miller.
Los Angeles Angels
Kendrick began his career with the Angels and spent nine seasons with them before he was traded to the Dodgers last year. It's hard to believe the Angels wouldn't be interested in a reunion after the work Kendrick has done for them: in 1,081 games the 32-year-old hit .292/.332/.424 with 534 runs scored, 78 home runs, 501 RBI and 95 stolen bases.
Team owner Arte Moreno said the team is not in the market for a big bat since they're approaching the luxury tax threshold. Kendrick would fit their plans since he's not going to be expensive, has previous experience in LA and would fit right back in with the clubhouse. He also would fill the team's need at second base.
The Angels were in touch with Kendrick's agent earlier this month, but Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register says "the club has clearly not placed a high priority on re-signing Kendrick, or any free agent second basemen."
Well, that's probably because a) there were few attractive second basemen available this offseason and b) the Angels figure they can wait it out and watch Kendrick's price tag drop.
The Angels added to their infield this offseason with Andrelton Simmons and Yunel Escobar, so signing Kendrick would round off the infield and provide a solid offensive boost.
Here's what Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote earlier today (after I began this column):
"He's had a remarkably quiet market, but he is an excellent hitter who's also a clubhouse plus. The Royals, Diamondbacks and both Los Angeles teams look like they make the most sense."
Stay tuned for updates on where Kendrick might sign for the 2016 season.
