Cubs Trade for Jason Kendall

July 16, 2007 by cubsnet

Three years from now, most everyone will have forgotten that Rob Bowen once played for the Chicago Cubs. Like Jody Gerut. The Cubs traded Bowen and 6'6" lefthanded minor league reliever Jerry Blevins to the Oakland A's today for catcher Jason Kendall.

So much for the Geovany Soto experiment, as Kendall will become the everyday catcher, with Koyie Hill likely having the inside track to remain the backup. With Billy Petrick back, giving the Cubs 12 pitchers again, one of Hill or Soto is going back to Iowa.

Kendall is hitting .226/.261/.281 for the A's this year, "good" for an adjusted OPS+ of 46. In 2006, he had an 89 OPS+ and in 2005 he had a 77 OPS+.

Apparently, somene in the Cubs' organization has a long memory, recalling that Kendall has hit .302/.392/.425 in his career against the Cubs, mostly from his time with the Pirates from 1996-2004.

Addressing his struggles this year, Jim Hendry said, "His second half career numbers are much better than his first. His on-base percentage is always high." The first statement is right: Kendall's career OPS in the second half of the season is 42 points higher than the first half. Hendry's second statement is also right: Kendall has had an on base average higher than the league in each season but 2001 and this one.

Defensively, according to Baseball Prospectus's Fielding Runs Above Average, Kendall has been an average catcher.

However way this trade works out, Kendall is a fun player to cheer for, as he helps define grit on the diamond. It's also kind of fun having a player on the roster making an absurd amount of money this season, with that money mostly coming from two smaller market clubs: the A's and the Pirates.

Athletics Nation says: "Jason, I never hated you, how could I hate someone who would put his face in front of some jagged cleats to win a game?  I just got tired of watching you hit."

Catfish Stew is pumped about Blevins, who posted a 1.53 ERA for AA Tennessee this season, with a 37/8 K/BB ratio in 29.1 innings.

Dan Szymborski says just about any catcher -- including Bowen -- is better than Kendall.

Bleed Cubbie Blue and The Cub Reporter write that there is some potential for some positive upside to the Kendall acquisition.

Rob Neyer disagrees (sub. req'd): "Why on earth would the Cubs want Kendall? Bowen's probably nearly as good as Kendall, and prospect Geovany Soto is almost certainly better. Wasn't Soto's emergence this season one of the justifications for trading Michael Barrett? Granted, the Cubs are contenders no matter who's behind the plate. But it's awfully hard to figure how this deal could possibly make them better."

Finally, Wrigleyville23 notes something different following the Michael Barrett trade. For the Padres, too.

Go Cubs.

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