Dodgers Acquire Howie Kendrick

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had an active day in the Winter Meetings. News broke that the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Rollins from the Phillies and traded away Dee Gordon and Dan Haren to the Miami Marlins. The Dodgers were not done as one of the pieces traded to the Marlins, was flipped to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Andrew Heaney didn’t stay a Dodger long as he was traded to the Angels for second baseman Howie Kendrick.  The Dodgers will be paying Kendrick’s full salary for 2015.

Kendrick will be on the books for $9.5 million and he is in the last year of his contract. The Angels were looking to shed salary for financial flexibility, as their payroll is limited to massive contracts due to the signings for Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and Josh Hamilton.

With Rollins and Kendrick manning the infield, the defense increases greatly. The offensive output for 2B has increased greatly.