Posts tagged HowieKendrick at FanHouse

Every four years, Major League Baseball's postseason intersects with a presidential election. This is one of those years. In the spirit of the season, we here at MLB FanHouse have divided the playoff teams up for a series of debates. Here Andrew Johnson and Matt Watson discuss the ALDS between the Angels and Red Sox.

Andrew Johnson: Between the Brewers and Rays, the 2008 postseason has a pretty fresh feel. Not so much in this series. For the third time in five years the Angels will face the Red Sox in the first round. The last two meetings haven't gone well for Los Angeles -- both were sweeps in Boston's favor.

I don't anticipate a Red Sox sweep this time around, but it's hard for me to see the outcome being any different for the Halos. But why you ask? The Angels have 100 wins and the best record in baseball you say. They went 8-1 against Boston this season you add.

None of these facts faze me. Why? The Red Sox are simply a better baseball team. Their run differential of plus-151 is a staggering 83 runs better than the Angels. And it's all the more impressive considering Boston played 54 games -- roughly one-third of its schedule -- against the Blue Jays, Rays and Yankees. All three clubs won at least 86 games.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- How much will it cost to pry Matt Holliday away from the Rockies? We might finally have an idea. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels have inquired about Holliday and Colorado's price started with pitcher Nick Adenhart, Los Angeles' top pitching prospect, and would likely include second baseman Howie Kendrick and either Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders.

Look, it's pretty clear that the Angels are going to coast to the AL West title. It's also become pretty clear over the past few seasons that they need another bat to get out of the divisional round of the playoffs. So it's easy to criticize the L.A. front office for not being aggressive enough in getting another big bopper. But that's an exorbitant price for any player, especially a nice one like Holliday, who happens to be pretty average away from the hitting paradise that is Coors Field. Adenhart and Saunders, in particular, are both a tad overrated, but a trade involving those two and Howie Kendrick would take away players contributing to the Angels right now. That's the definition of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

- As for the other big bat prominently mentioned in rumors, Mark Teixeira, the Braves appear more resolute to hold on to him and make a push in the NL East, despite the fact that the first baseman is likely to walk at the end of the season. Atlanta entered Sunday with the same run differential as the Mets, so perhaps there is reason for optimism. But there is also this: Atlanta is still 5 1/2 games behind New York in the standings and the rotation beyond Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens is in tatters. There is ground to cover and the Braves' best baseball might already be behind them. It might be time to swallow hard and become a seller.

Man, there's something about being the top team in the AL West that makes a team have to use it's disabled list a lot more often. I already went over the Athletics' problems with keeping people healthy yesterday, but the injury bug isn't limited to Oakland's city limits.

Nope, it's made it's way down to southern California as well. Invading Anaheim, Orange County, Long Beach, Compton, Los Angeles, and whatever else the Angels are putting in their name these days. After already being without Chone Figgins and Howie Kendrick, it looks as though the Halos are going to have to add Erick Aybar to the disabled list as well.

Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar left Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning after dislocating his right pinky while fielding a ground ball.

X-rays on Aybar's hand were negative, but he will visit a specialist on Wednesday to determine the extent of the damage.

The Angels finished the game by moving Maicer Izturis over from third to short, and putting Robb Quinlan at third. They're going to await the results of Erick's trip to the specialist today before making any move official, but I'm guessing that if Aybar has to go on the disabled list, that the Angels will call up Brandon Wood to take his spot on the roster.

Damage Control is a list of injuries that you need to be thinking about as you're sitting at work, trying to set your fantasy lineup for week two. I'm categorizing the injuries in three pretty obvious slots below (good, worth the risk, don't bother) for your perusal the rest of the afternoon prior to submitting your lineups.

If there is anyone you have a question about, drop a note in the comments or send the Fantasy FanHouse crew an email. Please note that as injury news regarding the upcoming week is released, this list will be updated.

Safe to Roll
Francisco Rodriguez, CL, LAA -- He pitched Sunday, so you kind of have to start him if you own him.
Carlos Guillen, SS, DET -- Supposedly he's questionable, but I see no reason to bench him. He hits too well and is too valuable in terms of positional eligibility to keep on the bench.
Elijah Dukes, OF, WAS -- How you gonna bench me, dawg? (Seriously, if you are so inclined to own/use him, he should be back, dawg.)

Second base has been less surprising than first or the backstop positions this year, if only because, once again, Chase Utley has been playing the role of pace car. Don't forget that he probably would have won the MVP last year if he hadn't gotten beaned in the hand.

If Yunel Escobar's owner hasn't figured out how good he is yet, well, you need to hop on that. He's completely legit and has eligibility almost everywhere on the inside of the diamond. Howie Kendrick has started the season white hot, currently hitting above .450 for the season. Dude doesn't have a ton of power but he's long been thought of as a AVG monster, if only he could harness that upside.

Jose Lopez, though, has to be considered a tremendous surprise this early in the season, if you think about how he finished last year. Of course, then you can remember that he started out 2007 pretty hot too, and realize you should a) start him for now and b) sell high on him as soon as possible. His first half line for last year: .321/.415/.284 with eight homers, 12 doubles and 47 RBI. His second half line? Yeaaaaah: .238/.281/.213 with three homers, five doubles and 15 RBI. So, make sure and remember that.

Player	Team	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Utley	PHI		HOU	HOU	HOU	NYM	NYM	NYM
Hill	TOR	at BAL	at BAL	TEX	TEX	DET	DET	DET
Roberts	BAL	TOR	TOR	CHW	CHW	NYY	NYY	NYY
Kendrick	LAA	at TEX	at TEX	KC	KC	SEA	SEA	SEA
Phillips	CIN		at CHC	at CHC	at CHC	MIL	MIL	MIL

The White Sox and the Angels have been trying to work out a Paul Konerko trade for what seems like ages. It's almost an offseason ritual at this point: White Sox float Paulie Walnuts, Angels some combination of players in return, sides decide to go home and do it all over next year. It's fun!

But this week's Nick Swisher trade has reinvigorated the rumors, and it seems pretty obvious that two teams are dangling a Konerko trade yet again:

Angels general manager Tony Reagins might be in position to complete an acquisition his mentor never could.

A source has indicated the Angels and Chicago White Sox are discussing a second trade of the offseason, with this one sending Paul Konerko to the Angels, while Howie Kendrick and Ervin Santana are possible candidates to head to Chicago.

Indications are, though, that the White Sox also have inquired about a package that includes Chone Figgins. The White Sox are also in the market for bullpen help after their relievers melted down most of last season.

The potential deal has apparently become the hot rumor among general managers, according to the source.

While I'm not sure I know what the White Sox' long term strategy is -- they apparently refuse to approach the thought of rebuilding with young players -- a trade for Kendrick and Santana would be fair return for the aging Konerko. Whether they can actualize it is another story altogether.

(HT: BBTF)

When last we left the Angels they were polishing off a giant novelty check for Torii Hunter. Spending $90 million on a centerfielder 12 months after overpaying for another centerfielder might seem like a lot for one offseason but it appears they may be making another big splash in the not too distant future. Their long-rumored discussions with the Marlins about Miguel Cabrera seem to be heating up.

The Angels, according to baseball sources, are willing to part with just about any player who has been mentioned in trade rumors -- second baseman Howie Kendrick, catcher Jeff Mathis, pitchers Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders or Nick Adenhart, outfielder Reggie Willits and perhaps top infield prospect Brandon Wood.

Adenhart, Kendrick and Wood are probably the most attractive of that group to the Marlins. The Angels don't want to include more than one of them in a deal, though, and the teams are trying to sort out how to make a trade work. I don't really get why the Angels would spend $90 million on Hunter, though, and then balk at trading,say, Adenhart and Kendrick.

Hunter's a fine player but probably not a $19 million a year one and, since he's 31, it's win-now time in Southern California. As good as Adenhart or Kendrick might be ,it's still a might while Cabrera would vault them to the top of the American League heap right now. Take those two, the superfluous Willits and Saunders or Santana and you have a deal that makes sense on both sides.

Earlier this week the Angels added Jon Garland to their already deep rotation by sending Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox. Some speculated this move was a precursor to the team making a trade with the Marlins for Miguel Cabrera.

While we still wait to see where Miguel Cabrera is going to end up, there are rumors that the Angels are thinking of bringing back two former fan favorites: David Eckstein and Darin Erstad.

Before Angels fans get upset with [General Manager Tony] Reagins, let me be the first to report the whispers he is interested in bringing back shortstop David Eckstein and outfielder Darin Erstad, fan favorites from the 2002 World Series champions who are both free agents.

If the Angels did bring the two players back, neither would be expected to start. Erstad would serve as nothing more than a fourth outfielder and a backup first baseman, while Eckstein would back up both Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar in the middle infield.

Personally I don't see why Eckstein would want to come back to Anaheim to take a backup role when he can probably find a starting job somewhere else, but stranger things have happened. As far as Erstad is concerned, I fully expect him to be signed by the Angels because from what I can tell, nobody else has expressed any interest in the oft-injured veteran since he was cut loose by the White Sox.

Of course, neither of these moves would add protection for Vladimir Guerrero, which is what the Angels really need. Not some kind of family reunion.

When I wrote earlier this week that Adam Dunn was already available on the trade market, I predicted that the Reds would likely demand a king's ransom for their prized slugger. According to the Los Angeles Times, that's exactly what they're doing:

The Angels had preliminary discussions with Cincinnati about acquiring Dunn, according to a baseball source, but those talks quickly ended when the Reds requested a proven major league starting pitcher, a major league infielder - preferably a second baseman - and a top prospect.

Those demands were considered too hefty for a player whose $13-million option for 2008 would be voided if he's traded, meaning he could become a free agent after this season. The Angels probably wouldn't even trade second baseman Howie Kendrick for Dunn straight up, according to the source.

The MLB Trade Rumors blog looked at the rosters and took a stab at which players Cincinnati was asking about, coming up with Ervin Santana, Erick Aybar and Brandon Wood. If that's the case ... wow, I applaud the Reds for trying, but I also understand why the Angels walked away. (Minor quibble: Santana is obviously talented, but he's always been a flyball pitcher. Given the fact they play their home games in the launching pad known as The Great American Ball Park, the Reds would be better served going after extreme groundball pitchers.)

I hope you like reading about these types of rumors, because there's a good chance this Dunn's situation will get drawn out for much of the season. Considering his option for next season is a team option and not a player option, the Reds can afford to hold onto him for a good 13 months before they actually need to worry about cashing in.

Previously on FanHouse:
Report: Adam Dunn Is Already on the Trade Market
Padres Are Interested in Impending Free Agent Adam Dunn

Another day, another player added to the Angels disabled list.

A team starved for offense lost another of its top hitters Wednesday when second baseman Howie Kendrck, who was batting .327, went on the 15-day disabled list because of a broken bone in his left hand.

Kendrick, hit by a Chad Gaudin fastball in the seventh inning Tuesday night, returned to Southern California on Wednesday for an MRI test and CT scan, which revealed a non-displaced fracture at the base of his middle finger.

The team has no set timetable for when Kendrick will return but he's likely to be out until the start of June.

In case you haven't been paying attention, here's the list of Angels who've spent time on the DL this season.

• Jered Weaver (just returned)
• Bartolo Colon
• Chone Figgins
• Robb Quinlan

That list doesn't even include the latest injury to Vladimir Guerrero's wrist.

As for the struggling Angels offense, I'm not sure that's a fair assessment. You have to have an offense for it to struggle, and the Angels haven't had one period lately. After being shutout by Dan Haren and the Athletics on Wednesday night, the Angels have scored six runs in their last six games. Not coincedentally, they're 0-6 in that span.

To replace Kendrick on the roster, the Angels are expected to bring up the promising Brandon Wood from the minors.

Previously at the Fanhouse:
Bobby Crosby Ruined Jered Weaver's Day
Vladimir Guerrero Hurts Hand, Angels Fans Leap From Buildings
Bartolo Colon Is Better At Rehab Than Britney Spears
Chone Figgins Can't Give You The Finger
The Angels Will Start The Season Without Jered Weaver