UPDATE: It’s a one-year contract with a vesting option for ’09 if he plays 115 games.
The Brewers have signed Jason Kendall, pending a physical. The amount and length is unknown. Let’s hope it’s around one year, $3MM. Tom Haudricourt had said the Crew had offered both one and two-year options.
Kendall, 33, hit .242/.301/.309 last year in 466 ABs. On the plus side he was a much better hitter for the Cubs, posting a .362 OBP in that stint. He threw out 15.3% of runners, better than only Johnny Estrada among regular backstops in ’07. He’s going to really have to work some magic with the pitchers if this signing is to pan out.
With Kendall off the market, the only viable free agent catchers are Michael Barrett, Paul Lo Duca, and Yorvit Torrealba. Seems like the Marlins and Rockies will take two of them.
