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It is difficult to understand what the Los Angeles Angels are thinking with continued shopping of second baseman Howie Kendrick. Rumor after rumor keeps coming in suggesting that though they didn’t get him traded away during the season, they want to offer him to someone for pitching during the winter. That might be okay except for the fact that it makes almost zero sense at all to send Kendrick packing. He has been one of the best players on the Angels roster this season so they want to shop him?
Kendrick has been right there with Mike Trout in terms of being mostly reliable all season long. For this 2013 Angels team, that is saying something. The worst thing about this is that the Angels do in fact need good young pitching. Their chances of repeating their bad season in 2014 go up if they run the same five out there. Still, though they have a real need, I don’t see how Kendrick is going to be the best way to get there.
There are only a few second basemen in all of Major League Baseball that have been as offensively and defensively consistent as he has been this season. They won’t replace him with anyone acceptable. On top of that, most available good young pitching went this trade season and there are few that remain that would warrant sending someone of Kendrick’s caliber away. The best case would be to get some good minor league prospects but they would be a year or two away. Kendrick still has a contract through 2015 anyway so why shop him? There are other options on the team that would be at least a little easier to replace than Kendrick. They should not trade this man, period.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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