Brewers sign Jason Kendall -- 1 year/$4.25 mil guaranteed, up to 2 years/$10.25 mil possible

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't know what happened to Kendall's arm the last few years, but with Pittsburgh he wasn't that bad. Offensively, he hit better with the Cubs and showed that on base ability that he always had as a Pirate.

 

He's somewhat of a gamer too and I kind of like that. But that CS rate really concerns me.

[Fatter than Joey]

Then he (DM) shouldn't have traded for him (Estrada). He knew what kind of player he was getting, a low OBP, high contact catcher who isn't a great defender.

 

I found this comment interesting --

 

My first thought was that Estrada -- as flawed as he is -- is an upgrade over catchers we have had in years past -- turns out -- that this isn't

necessarily true.

 

Here is our production at Catcher and rank in the NL

 

2002 -- .599 -- 16th Bako, Machado, Cassanova.

2003 -- .699 -- 11th Perez Osik

2004 -- .590 -- 16th -- Moeller Bennet

2005 -- .720 -- 6th -- Miller Moeller

2006 -- .696 -- 11th Miller Rivera Moeller

2007 -- .686 -- 10th Estrada Miller

 

I think you would be hard-pressed to show that we have seen an upgrade in the Catcher position offensively or defensively in 2007.

 

So, was it smart to "trade for Estrada"? -- If DM knew that Miller was going to erode as quickly as he did, it was probably smart to trade for a catcher in

2007. Miller getting 400+ ABs in 2007 would have probably not worked out very well for us.

 

If Estrada was the best C available to Melvin in the 2006 post-season, then I really can't blame him for getting Estrada -- if he targeted Estrada at the expense of other catchers -- then I think it is very fair to say that Melvin really whiffed on this one.

 

Of course Estrada could "recover from his injuries" in 2008 and redeem DM, or he might make DM even look more foolish --

 

I can't blame Melvin at all for wanting to hedge his bets, though and looking at other catcher options is certainly something

that the Brewers should do.

 

Of course Yost magnified Estrada's flaws by batting him 5th as much as he did -- which is interesting -- because even in 2005 and 2006 when Miller

was our best producing catcher (in weaker lineups) from 2002-2007, Yost never batted Miller higher than 6th, and most often in 7th-8th.

 

With regards to Kendall -- I think he made 12 million last year -- I can't imagine he takes that steep of a paycut to platoon/backup Estrada --

especially when he could probably get a starting gig in Colorado.

 

I am not real excited about Kendall, but clearly our catching situation needs attention.

[aracko]

Seriously - what IS Chad Moeller doing these days? I remember when we got him, I expected his bat to be much better than it was. His defense was quite decent. Is he available?

[radman12484]

Kendall will be the backup to Estrada. His role will be the same as Miller's. Its also a nice guy to have pitch hit for Estrada when we need a bunt to move the runners over. I can see this being a good move and a bad move.

[Fatter than Joey]

His defense was quite decent. Is he available?

 

Chad Moeller really wasn't that great offensively or defensively -- I think he got signed by the Reds.

 

He will probably flop around in AAA in 2008

[JimH5]

Kendall would be a HUGE disappointment.

 

I'd be interested in making a run at Paul LoDuca.

 

Just like that teenage girl from Long Island. And the other one from Philadelphia. . .

[JohnBriggs12]

The thing about Kendall from an offensive perspective is that he's really been a pretty good number 2 hitter. Lifetime he has a .376 OBP in that spot. Batting in the two spot also lowers his GIDP rate (which is quite high elsewhere) as he's a perfect hit and run guy. Plus he would see so many good pitches batting in front of Braun and Fielder, that it's possible he will revert to a .300 hitter.

 

If they never find that lefty swinging corner OF and have to settle for a Gross and whoever platoon, they could bat Kendall second against lefties, and Gross there vs. righties and that could be fairly productive.

[Weirdos19]

Is Kendall that much of an improvement over Rivera? Is Estrada really any better than Rivera?

 

I would much rather go with Kendall than Estrada. We know Kendall knows how to take a pitch. He could be a great #2 hitter if he even gets his average to .270.

 

The only advantage Estrada has is HR power. But Kendall can be a doubles machine.

 

I say let Estrada go and sign Kendall and have Rivera back up. As long as we arent giving him a ton of cash (2yr/ 10mil would be ok.).

[JohnBriggs12]

"I say let Estrada go and sign Kendall..."

 

I don't think there's any way Estrada is a Brewer in 08 if Kendall is signed. It's just a matter of whether he could be included in a deal or just be non-tendered.

[theavrock]

The thing about Kendall from an offensive perspective is that he's really been a pretty good number 2 hitter. Lifetime he has a .376 OBP in that spot. Batting in the two spot also lowers his GIDP rate (which is quite high elsewhere) as he's a perfect hit and run guy. Plus he would see so many good pitches batting in front of Braun and Fielder, that it's possible he will revert to a .300 hitter.

 

If they never find that lefty swinging corner OF and have to settle for a Gross and whoever platoon, they could bat Kendall second against lefties, and Gross there vs. righties and that could be fairly productive.

 

If Kendall was a great or even good defensive catcher I would be for that. Our defense needs to improve and we need to get more high OBP guys in the order. Adding Kendall to the mix would help one area but hurt another. I dont think it does anything to improve us.

[DrWood]

I don't know how any rational person expects a 34 year old declining kendall to step back up to career averages, rather than not decline further, and probably precipitously next season. at least with estrada there is a reason to hope he could bounce back--if his injuries are healed.

[dpapo]

Tom Haudricourt mentioned the following in his blog, which may increase the chances of the Brewers signing Kendall as a backup or platoon player, though he still would probably get more playing time in Colorado and it still isn't clear if the Brewers want Kendall as a replacent for Estrada or as a second catcher.

"After losing Torrealba, the Rockies are saying Iannetta will be their No. 1 catcher. They say they're merely looking for a backup to him, and they've contacted Kendall, too. Let's face it. There's not much out there on the catching front."

http://blogs.jsonline.com/user/Profile.aspx?UserID=2118

[homer]

If I had to bet, I'd say Estrada has a better shot at bouncing back to decent numbers over Kendall.

[Mr QL]

Ughhh. Whoever we throw out there will be brutal most likely. I don't see Kendell as too much of an upgrade. I just want a guy who throw a guy out and not be a lazy catcher and whatever they do on offense is just bonus.

[JJHardy7]

This will cost $$$. No way I do it. Estrada's deal will not be horrible. I hate how he is on defense, but offensively he's not horrible -- for a catcher. Offense and catching are hard to come by. I would really like to have a Henry Blanco type to back him up though, since I don't know if Estrada's "injuries" are legit or not. Mike Rivera isn't a bad option (he has a lot more power than Estrada), but I don't think his defense is all that great either. The Brewers could be looking into a lot of free agents, so DM's interest could be quite small. It's not DM to spend even $5 million on a guy like Jason. This is hopefully just talk...unless he's taking a big paycut.

 

Stats are great, but stats can also be viewed in anyway to see the user's outcome. I love baseball stats, but I think often times they can be misleading. What's going to win the Brewers games from the Catcher position? Can we get to the playoffs with Estrada as our catcher? I think we can...if all this injury talk is legit and he can throw out some runners.

[BCZF]

Did I just see a "lets get Paul LoDuca" ? My, things have changed around here... Dave Nillson still lookin for a comeback?

[twobrewers]

Seriously - what IS Chad Moeller doing these days?

The fact that our catching situation has regressed to the point of Brewerfan.net calling for Chad Moeller is really funny to me.

 

Pigs fly.

[JoeHova]

The Brewers acquired Estrada last November and hoped he would settle into the No. 5 hole behind slugging first baseman Prince Fielder

 

 

 

 

If that was actually what Melvin had in mind, rather than just something Yost did, I am rapidly losing confidence in Melvin. Estrada slugged above the league average exactly once in his career and that was just barely.

 

Now we hear Kendall may be brought in. Kendall is a guy who has been entrenched at the top of the order throughout his career (his 3 most common lineup positions in his career are, in order, 1st, 3rd, & 2nd). Do we really trust Yost (and now Melvin, apparently) to bat him 8th where he belongs when they'll be able to talk about his veteran presence and experience and willingness to do the "little things" at the top of the order? A .360+ OBP out of a catcher would be sweet. However, this is a guy who has slugged (much) worse than Craig Counsell over the past 3 years. I won't be able to live with him batting leadoff or 2nd and Rickie or Corey hitting 6th or 7th.

[JoeHova]

Just to clarify, the difference between 1st and 7th in the order is about 110 plate appearances, which is why I couldn't condone that situation.

[aracko]

Kendall has always been a pretty decent athlete and in his career he has played some games in the OF. I wonder if we might possibly be looking at him as a backup corner OF and and backup catcher as well as a bat off the bench?

 

I think that Kendall would make an excellent pinch hitter late in the game because of his history of showing the ability to get on base.

 

Granted we are not used to paying guys to be backups, but maybe this is the next step.

 

**it would be strange to pay a guy to be a backup before we have our LF on the roster. **

[naivin]

The article in th eMJS indicates Melvin is looking to upgrade the cathing position. If that is truly the case, the names Kendall and Barrett should not appear anywhere. BArrett might provide a minor upgrade offensively, but other than that, niether offers anything over Estrada. Defensively in particular...at least Estrada had the injury excuse for not throwing anybody out. By all accounts, Kendall has the same lack of ability, without the injury. Barrett is just bad defensively. I'll take my chances with a surgically repaired Estrada or the trade market, as opposed to spending any money on a guy like Kendall or Barrett.

[dadofandrew]

Kendall and Barrett might be pretty much lateral, but depending on their cost, they might be better guys to have. Doug is looking at doing what he can to improve his team, be it a half win at a time or saving a couple million at a time.

[brewmann04]

Guys don"t forget we also Claimed Eric Munson this offseason.

[GenoSeligPrieb]

" I like him, but really is Kendall at $10 million better than Estrada at $3 million?"

 

DH, at this stage of his career, especially if Estrada will be healthier in 2008 as promised, the only way Kendall is better for us than Estrada, is at $2,000,000. Is Kendall represented by Boras? It wouldn't surprise me, because he peaked just before getting 8 figures per year, and then the bottom dropped out of his game.

[Brewer Fever]

I'm shocked that no one has realized this yet, but it's pretty darn obvious to me. The fact that Melvin is interested in catchers who would be lateral changes from Estrada in terms of offense and defense, indicate to me that Estrada is a giant negative in two other aspects. The Brewers coaches and brass must view him as a huge negative calling a game and even moreso as a presence in the clubhouse. So you look to see if you can add a guy who while may be no improvement at the plate or behind the dish, can at least call a better game, and be less of a cancer in the lockeroom. We've seen glimpses and heard whispers that Estrada is a thorny character and at times butts heads with coaches. Where there's smoke there's fire. To me it's the only logical reason for going after guys who don't offer much improvement in the areas everyone is locked in on. But if he can be replaced by a catcher who calls a better game and fits in better with team chemistry, then the move makes sense.

 

We're not looking at paying a sizable sum to a Kendall or a Torrealba to be a backup. Melvin is seeing if he can get one of those guys in the fold so he can dump Estrada.