Howie Kendrick
Oh how Howie Kendrick has endeared himself to the hearts of Washington Nationals fans. Not only did his grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers propel the Nats past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Washington Nationals history, his hot hitting helped sink the St. Louis Cardinals in the next round.
After capturing the MVP of the NLCS, his two-run, go ahead, home run in Game 7 of the World Series pushed the Nationals to a victory over the Houston Astros.
Aside from these exploits, Kendrick spurned more money and longer deals from other teams to return to the Nationals on a 1 YR/6.25M contract.
As much as I love Howie Kendrick, his pending free agency will be looked at as a “what have you done for me lately” situation.
Kendrick is 37 years-old and has been slowed by injuries recently. He has been hampered by hamstring issues all season. In the 25 games he has participated in, just six have been of the non-designated hitter variety.
The Nationals can’t enter 2021 with Howie Kendrick as the main DH, they need someone with more power. Kendrick is versatile, though the wear and tear on his legs leaves him as a defensive liability outside of first base.
My guess is Kendrick will sign a one year contract somewhere, just won’t be in The District of Columbia.