Howie Kendrick Traded to Phillies for Darnell Sweeney and Darin Ruf

The Los Angeles Dodgers have found a trade partner for Howie Kendrick as they look to build on their National League Championship Series appearance.

The Dodgers announced that they traded Kendrick to the Philadelphia Phillies for Darnell Sweeney and Darin Ruf on Friday.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reported on Nov. 8 that the Dodgers were interested in dealing Kendrick.

Rosenthal listed the Phillies and Los Angeles Angels as teams interested in Kendrick. He said Philadelphia was "looking for short-term upgrades," while Kendrick started his MLB career with the Angels.

Rosenthal pointed out that Phillies general manager Matt Klentak was the assistant general manager for the Angels for part of Kendrick's time with the team. Kendrick played for the Angels from 2006 to 2014.

What's more, Rosenthal said the Angels were looking for a second baseman heading into the 2017 season.

That would have likely suited Kendrick well, considering Rosenthal's major league sources said he "grew frustrated with his role last season." While his 487 at-bats ranked fifth on the team, he played left field, second base, first base and third base at times after playing second for most of his career.

He also started just three of the Dodgers' 11 playoff games, as manager Dave Roberts used Andrew Toles in left against right-handed pitchers.

Despite the apparent frustration, Kendrick's fielding at second base often dictated his moving around given his struggles in the last two seasons with the Dodgers. According to FanGraphs, he was responsible for minus-12 total defensive runs saved above average at second in 2015 (989 innings) and minus-four in 2016 (210.1 innings).

He was set to make $10 million in 2017 in the final season of a two-year contract with the Dodgers, per Rosenthal. A trade means the Dodgers receive something in return before the 33-year-old Kendrick hits the open market following the upcoming campaign.

Kendrick was a 2011 All-Star with the Angels when he hit a career-best 18 home runs, but he was not that offensive force for the Dodgers in 2016. He slashed .255/.326/.366 with eight home runs and 40 RBI and couldn't replicate some of his past numbers:

Season	Team	Games	Slash Numbers	Home Runs	RBI
2006	Los Angeles Angels	72	.285/.314/.416	4	30
2007	Los Angeles Angels	88	.322/.347/.450	5	39
2008	Los Angeles Angels	92	.306/.333/.421	3	37
2009	Los Angeles Angels	105	.291/.334/.444	10	61
2010	Los Angeles Angels	158	.279/.313/.407	10	75
2011	Los Angeles Angels	140	.285/.338/.464	18	63
2012	Los Angeles Angels	147	.287/.325/.400	8	67
2013	Los Angeles Angels	122	.297/.335/.439	13	54
2014	Los Angeles Angels	157	.293/.347/.397	7	75
2015	Los Angeles Dodgers	117	.295/.336/.409	9	54
2016	Los Angeles Dodgers	146	.255/.326/.366	8	40

While the decline is likely worrisome for Philadelphia, he is versatile enough to play multiple positions if needed and brings postseason experience and veteran leadership to the table with 30 playoff games in his career.