Breaking News: Howie Kendrick Shipped to the Dodgers

Massive news is coming out of Los Angeles tonight, and it figures to dramatically change the makeup of the Angels infield in 2015 and beyond. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports’, Angels second baseman, Howie Kendrick, has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for 23-year-old southpaw, Andrew Heaney. Nothing is finalized, but thus far it appears that no other players are involved.
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Heaney was acquired by the Dodgers earlier in the day from the Miami Marlins in exchange for second baseman, Dee Gordon. As it turns out, Heaney’s tenure with the Dodgers was rather short, lasting just under 6 hours. Howie Kendrick is now tasked with filling the vacancy left by Gordon at second base.
Angels’ general manager, Jerry Dipoto, stated last month that Kendrick was available. After starring with the Halos in 2014, Kendrick now moves across town to play for the hated Dodgers. Kendrick had arguably his best season as an Angel in 2014, batting .293 with 7 home runs and 75 RBI’s. Kendrick finished 18th in the MVP voting this year, and his presence will be sorely missed in the middle of the Angels infield and lineup.
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The Angels have been searching for affordable, controllable arms this offseason, and on Wednesday night they reeled in a big fish. Heaney is currently ranked as the 18th best prospect in all of baseball by mlb.com, and the number two left-handed starting pitcher prospect. Heaney will be under team control through the 2020 season. The former first round pick struggled in limited action last season in Miami, going 0-3 with a 5.83 ERA over five starts. Still, Heaney is quite a haul for the Halos, and should compete for a spot next spring in the rotation.
The Angels have saved $9.5 million by moving Howie Kendrick. The Halos have been pretty cash strapped this offseason, as they were right up against the luxury tax threshold prior to the deal. I’m sure Dipoto has a few ideas of how to use the newly available funds.
The Angels now have a gifted young arm to build around for years to come. It is hard not be excited about that!
Halo Hangout will bring you more coverage tomorrow as more about the deal becomes known.