Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick are both free agents after this season, but general manager Jerry Dipoto said today that the Angels have “begun to explore and will continue to explore” long-term contract extensions for their middle infield duo.
Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times classifies the talks as “preliminary discussions” and speculates that both Aybar and Kendrick would get at least $30 million over four seasons if extensions are reached.
Kendrick made $3.3 million last season while Aybar earned $3 million, but both players are in line for sizable raises via the arbitration process and four-year deals would buy out their first three seasons of free agency.
They’ve failed to develop into stars, but Aybar and Kendrick are each solidly above-average players at their positions and still under 30 years old, so four-year deals worth $30-35 million would certainly be sound investments for the Angels with relatively minimal risk.
