Kendall Agrees to Deal; Linebrink to White Sox

Jason Kendall and the Brewers have agreed to a 1 year deal with an option for a second in 2009. Kendall will take over for the recently departed Johnny Estrada as the Brewers' starting backstop. Kendall brings a career .297 average and .375 on base percentage to Milwaukee.

Kendall didn't hit well the first half of the season in Oakland but hit .270 with a .362 OBP for Chicago in 57 games. Looking at his career stats I don't think the first half numbers should be something to worry about too much. Kendall has been a very good hitter throughout his entire career. He should be an upgrade over Estrada.

In other news Scott Linebrink has agreed to a 4 year deal with the Chicago White Sox worth $19 million. Linebrink had a 3.55 ERA in 27 appearances with the crew. The Brewers will receive a 2nd round pick and a sandwich pick after the first round as compensation for losing Linebrink since he was a type-a free agent.

I was never a big fan of the acquiring Linebrink. I didn't think he was worth Will Inman, let alone adding Joe Thatcher and Steve Garrison to the mix. We'll have to see how these draft picks turn out and see the success of Will Inman before we decide how well this trade worked out.

Posted in: News