Hammer for Kendrick

While Nick Johnson’s been the name bandied about a little more than anyone else, you could argue that Willingham is the best trade chip the Nats have. He crushes lefties, has the versatility to cover a corner outfield spot, first base, or even serve as the emergency catcher. He’s actually performing at a career best .946 OPS (111 points higher than NJ) and (like Johnson) has an OBP north of .400. Perhaps most importantly, though (unlike NJ), he’s signed at an affordable $3 million this season and could be under club control for two more years.

Kendrick had a surprisingly solid (and most likely anomalous) rookie year in 2007, going 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. He came back to earth in 2008, though he still finished 11-9 despite his failings (see: 5.49 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) before spending most of this season in the minors. You could argue that he was particularly lucky in 2007 (4.94 FIP against a 3.87 actual ERA…. .279 BABIP) and a little unlucky in 2008 (the FIP was pretty much dead on… 5.55 FIP against a 5.49 actual…. .316 BABIP was a little unlucky, though). Truth be told, Kendrick’s strikeout rate in the majors has been atrocious (to be kind), as he’s struck out just 117 batters in 278+ innings of work (3.8 K:9). He counters with a pretty solid walk rate (2.7 BB:9). He’s pretty much incapable of bringing any power pitching to the table (6.0 K:9 lifetime in the minors…. 55 K in 110 innings this season at AAA), and do you really want to see a guy who allows a high contact rate joining the Nats organization any time soon? I know I sure don’t. He’s had good defense behind him, and he’s benefited from having pretty strong defenses behind him in both Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley. I see him as a back end starter down the line who has already eaten up a couple of seasons of major league service time.

I wouldn’t trade NJ for Kendrick, and I think Willingham is a considerably more valuable player than NJ.based on affordability/productivity/arbitration eligibility. Just my thoughts.