The Angels have acquired a possible starting 2B after jettisoning Howie Kendrick.
The Halos traded relief pitcher Jairo Diaz to the Colorado Rockies for infielder Josh Rutledge and announced th trade about a half-hour after the Kendrick for Andrew Heaney deal with the Dodgers went public.
Rutledge is not that great with the bat - in 105 games he batted .269 with a .323 On Base Percentage and a .405 slugging percentage. He is not that great with the glove either, actually accruing 1.2 NEGATIVE Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR) with the glove last season and 2.8 NEG-dWAR in a 1,820 games in the infield as a major leaguer.
The new Halo infielder will likely battle Grant Green for the starting job at 2B.
Rutledge turns 26 in April while Green turned 27 just as the 2014 season was ending - so with both of them in their prime, look for a fierce battle in Spring training to fill the big shoes Howie has left in his wake.