Going into the final month of this past season, it was well known around Philadelphia that 30-year-old right hander Kyle Kendrick was finishing up his career as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
After eight seasons in Philadelphia, Kendrick will be joining the Colorado Rockies on a one-year, $5.5 million deal, a source told CSNPhilly.com. Kendrick, in his career, has posted a 74-68 record with a 4.42 ERA over his eight seasons in Philadelphia. The 30-year-old veteran has had a strong career for being a fourth and fifth starter for his entire career. Over his eight seasons, Kendrick only failed to post a 10-win season twice, winning 10 games three times and 11 games three times. After posting a winning record in each of his first five seasons, Kendrick has failed to have a winning record over the last three, finishing with a 11-12 record in 2012 and a 10-13 record each of the last two seasons.
Kendrick will join a rotation that features Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin. Kendrick will most likely be a third or fourth starter for the Rockies this season, and will help provide relief for the younger pitchers in the staff as he has averaged a career 188 innings per season.
The move for the Rockies is a strange one as Kendrick, over his career, has struggled at Coors Field posting a 5.26 ERA over 37.2 innings pitched, allowing five homeruns over seven games. However, while it's a small move for the Rockies, the signing of Kyle Kendrick has been the biggest story for the Rockies this offseason, as the organization has been extremely quiet over the offseason.