Phillies Acquire Howie Kendrick From Dodgers

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Howie Kendrick from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, they announced. 

In exchange for Kendrick, the Dodgers received second baseman and outfielder Darnell Sweeney as well as first baseman and outfielder Darin Ruf. 

Kendrick told the Dodgers that he wanted to be traded because he was not happy with his role, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Rosenthal mentioned that the Phillies could be a fit due to GM Matt Klentak's familiarity with Kendrick from his time with the Los Angeles Angels. 

Kendrick, who played a variety of positions with the Dodgers, is expected to be the Phillies' primary left fielder in 2017. Despite this, however, he will add flexibility at second to a team who is now looking into dealing starting second baseman Cesar Hernandez, according to reports. 

It is possible that the Phillies trade Hernandez and move shortstop Freddy Galvis to second, opening a spot for top prospect and former 1st round pick J.P. Crawford in 2017. Regardless, Kendrick will still likely be needed in the infield. 

Last year, Kendrick struggled to hit at the same level he did in the past, slashing just .255/.326/.366 with eight home runs and 40 RBI over 543 plate appearances. According to FanGraphs, he was worth 0.9 Wins Above Replacement. 

Kendrick will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2017 season. 

The 25-year-old Sweeney was a Dodger as recently as 2015. He was dealt to Philadelphia that year for Chase Utley, but apparently fell out of their long-term plans and did not make any appearances at the big league level this past year. In 37 games for his career, Sweeney has hit .176/.286/.353 with three homers and 11 RBI. 

Ruf, 30, has bounced back and forth between the minors and majors throughout his career. In 286 MLB games, he holds a .240/.314/.433 line with 35 home runs and 96 RBI. At the very least, he will provide some organizational pop in L.A.

--Devan Fink

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