Washington Nationals free agent Howie Kendrick announced his retirement after 15 seasons in the Majors, which included time spent with the Los Angeles Angels, L.A. Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.
Kendrick, broke the news himself in an Instagram post. The 37-year-old thanked fans for their years of support, his family and each of the four teams he played for. Although Kendrick’s time with the Dodgers was brief, he said it “will always be cherished.”
Kendrick was a 10th-round pick by the Angels in the 2002 Draft. He remained with the franchise until being traded to the Dodgers in December 2014 in exchange for pitching prospect Andrew Heaney, who is still with the Angels.
The Dodgers re-signed Kendrick to a two-year contract in January 2016, but his role that season was diminished. It reportedly frustrated Kendrick, which was a factor in trade being completed with the Philadelphia Phillies in December of that year.
Both during and after Kendrick’s time with the Dodgers, several members of the organization raved about his presence. Now that he’s entering retirement, former teammates Alex Wood and Kenley Jansen offered their congratulatory messages.
An absolute pro and one of the best guys I ever played with. Congrats on an amazing career! https://t.co/BBsYmuF9gs
— Alex Wood (@Awood45) December 22, 2020
15 MLB seasons, much respect! Congratulations to Howie Kendrick on an incredible career. Grateful to have been one of your teammates. Happy retirement and many, many blessings. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/a1ZyOstCT9
— Kenley Jansen (@kenleyjansen74) December 22, 2020
Kendrick finished bating a career .294/.337/.430 with 354 doubles, 127 home runs and 724 RBI over 1,621 games. He was an All-Star in 2011 and had at least 20 doubles in 12 seasons.
Despite being in the twilight of his career, Kendrick arguably enjoyed his best success in 2018 and 2019. Some of that came at the expense of the Dodgers, as Kendrick delivered a game-winning grand slam in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
He went on to be named MVP of the NL Championship Series and hit a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the World Series to help the Nationals win the first title in franchise history. The Nationals declined their team option on Kendrick for the 2021 season, instead paying a $2.25 million buyout.
Dodgers reunite with Morrow, Stewart and Nelson
In addition to trading for Corey Knebel, the Dodgers have potentially addressed the bullpen with the signings of Brandon Morrow, Jimmy Nelson and Brock Stewart. Each of the three right-handers was inked to a Minor League contract.
It represents a return to the organization for Morrow and Stewart, and in some sense Nelson as well. He first signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2020 season but was unable to pitch due to a back injury that ultimately required surgery.
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