Comeuppance!
>> Tuesday
Son of a bitch. I hate it when stuff I do, say or write comes back to bit me in the ass. And boy, did it ever. Remember around the trading deadline when the Cubs traded for Jason Kendall, and I laughed haughtily - gregariously, even - at how stupid they were?
Well, fuck me, because the Brewers, if these sources are correct, are on the verge of feeding me my words in the form of a giant, Jason Kendall-sized middle finger.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've got nothing personally against Jason Kendall. Aside from being kind of a hothead, he seems like an alright guy that his teammates seem to like, or at least tolerate. But the guy is old and hasn't been a legitimately productive hitter since 2003, when he went .325/.399/.416 with 6 homers (seriously - six). On top of that, he's possibly the second-worst defensive catcher in the majors (in terms of throwing out runners), behind only the guy the Brewers are looking to replace, Johnny Estrada.
Believe me, I'm not upset that the Brewers got rid of Estrada. Johnny was terrible in 2007 and has an intolerable penchant for swinging at everything while displaying a Herculean aversion towards taking a walk. In that sole regard, yes, Kendall - and his .375 OBP - is an upgrade.
No, the trade doesn't make me mad because it's necessarily a step backwards, it makes me mad because it's such a deliberate and obvious step sideways. Replacing one no-hit/no-field catcher with an identical model just doesn't jive. It's not the kind of move we're accustomed to seeing from Doug Melvin, because at the end of the day it does little to nothing in terms of improving the Brewers for the future, or even the present.
I would have preferred to see the Brewers go out and spend bargain bin money on a plus defensive catcher, regardless of the offensive sacrifice. With a linup that features Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Bill Hall, JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks as legitimate 20+ HR threats, the Brewers can afford to take a hit at the plate, provided they're getting a meaningful defensive contribution behind the plate. With Kendall, they'll get neither the defensive boost they'd like over last year's performance nor the offensive upgrade they might expect from a new backstop.
The one caveat to the whole thing, of course, are the rumors that Estrada was dealt because of feuds with pitching coach Mike Maddux and some members of the pitching staff. If it's true, it might help, at least in part, to explain what appears to be a completely hollow move from the Brewers front office.
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