If the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are going to win with Albert Pujols, they are going to have to surround him with some talent. Over the weekend, the Angels made sure their left side of the infield will be intact for at least the next four seasons.

The Angels and 2B Howie Kendrick agreed to a four-year, $33.5 million extension on Saturday. The extension buys out Kendrick’s last year of arbitration and three years of free agency. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Up until last year, I always thought Kendrick was a bit overrated. He never really did anything that made me believe he would live up to the “future batting champ” hype. However, 2011 was a different story.

Kendrick enjoyed a breakout 2011 season as he put up a .285/.338/.464 slash line with 18 HR’s, 14 SB’s, and a career-best .179 ISO. What made Kendrick’s 2011 season even more special was that he did it on both sides of the ball. His 14.4 UZR was good for third amongst all second baseman.

I’ll say this; if Kendrick’s 2011 season wasn’t just a career year and is indicative of what he is going to do for the next four years, then at an average of $8.4 million a year for Kendrick is going to be a steal and a half. Kendrick will outproduce the average annual salary of that contract in the first half of every year.

This is a very team-friendly deal for the Angels and one that should easily pay dividends over the next four seasons.

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