Dodgers, Orlando Hudson Agree To Terms

Good job. Hope this isnt another Griffey saga.

I dont understand this signing. Blake DeWitt did a good job last year, he deserves the job this year.

This is good for the Giants in my opinion.

Hudson's good no doubt, but Dewitt is no slump (he's now on the bench) and the Dodgers lose their first round draft pick.

I hoped the Dodgers would sign Cabrera so the draft pick would leave the NL West, but I'd rather the DBacks have it than the Dodgers.

wonder what the numbers are probably rhe same as the abreu deal.

Mybe now they can move on and tell manny(bora$$) to shove it.

The real winners are the D-Backs, they get the number 17 pick and the Dodgers don't pick till the Comp round (Assuming they or SF sign Manny).

melonis_rex should be happy, that leaves little to no competition for Cabrera. 1 yr 3MM plus a couple incentives ought to lock that up for the A's.

Dewitt will move to third and Blake will play left.

Good move signing the O-Dog. Now if they will just get over this crazy infatuation over Ramirez being some kind of savior..

celtic464, I'm sorry this in no way signals the Dodgers are pulling out on Manny. They don't have any other option to get for left now. Unless you consider Pierre an option, and that would give them 3 table setters, and no one with more than 20-25 HR power.

This is great news for Oakland. I hope Cabrera comes around and signs for less than $5 million with incentives now.

From a Dbacks fan, this is a great outcome. Hudson is a good player, no doubt, but we have seen his D slip, and i think alot of his offense is park related. 17 and Supp picks, here we come!

It's a risk by the Dodgers, but there is a chance O-dog could have a very respectable offensive season. If he is truly injury free, good signing.

Lets say they sign Manny, scary lineup

C Russell Martin
1B James Loney
2B Orlando Hudson
SS Rafael Furcal
3B Casey Blake
LF Manny Ramirez
CF Matt Kemp
RF Andre Ehier

SP: Billingsley, Kershaw, Kuroda, Wolf

I don't see why there has been no talk of McDonald taking the 5th spot.

Is it just me or did anyone else see DeWitt in the post-season? Did you see how many times he choked? Sure he's an OK defender, but his bat is worthless.

I'm glad we got O-Dog.

Now my big question is what will the starting pitching rotation be come Opening Day? Hopefully Bills recovers well from the leg, Wolf stays durable, and Kershaw develops at a good pace. The #5 spot is scary though considering that right now it is penned for Schmidt, and we all know how uncertain anything is with him.

C'mon, take that term sheet to Atlanta. You know you wanna.

I really like this move b/c:

1) It's likely a low-risk 1 year deal

2) Hudson is a significant offensive upgrade over DeWitt. His OPS is nearly 100 points higher!!!

3) Hudson can serve as an insurance policy on Furcal

4) DeWitt can have a year in AAA to learn 2B and develop further. He'll be ready to take over in 2010. He doesn't have the power for 3B, but he could be a quality 2B once he learns the position.

5) Hudson is still a defensive upgrade

Also, I'm pretty stoked to watch a smooth fielding black man at 2nd.

I'm tired of watching a old surly bastard that hates black people stumble around the ravine

WOW ROYALS, WOW.

I think I am going to hurl. This deal is so bad for so many reasons. 1) Arizona gets the Dodgers' 17th pick. 2) Hudson is, at best, a marginal upgrade over a far less expensive DeWitt who has a much higher ceiling. 3) This could mean the Dodgers have given up on Manny.

"I have to say Blake is fine in left, but with Dewitt,Hudson and Furcal you still have 3 table setters and no respectable power."

DeWitt has legitimate 20 HR power. Hudson and Furcal both have legitimate 15 HR power and Hudson probably adds 40 doubles to that. Still, that really isn't the concern.

Nice signing. I wish my Mets would have made an offer.

Money going to Hudson is money that can't be put towards Manny. I don't think the Dodgers have given up on Manny necessarily, but any money given to Hudson is theoretically money that can't be used in a Manny signing.

It's not just "get Manny in LA", its "keep Manny away from SF" as well. Right now, the Dodgers are the better team (best in the West). However, if the Giants get Manny, they will be the team to beat in the West.

How about now they sign Jim Edmonds to block Matt Kemp in center field, and Pudge Rodriguez to play catcher. Seriously when is Colletti going to stop signing declining veteran players to block his younger, cheaper, and improving players. Makes no sense.

Sigh.

Teahen at 2B.

/golf claps

"Is it just me or did anyone else see DeWitt in the post-season? Did you see how many times he choked? Sure he's an OK defender, but his bat is worthless."

Another excellent point. Aside from his triple he came up empty on many occasions with runners on. Since the Dodgers have lofty goals going into next season, it is important to get a more dependable option at 2nd.

"I think I am going to hurl. This deal is so bad for so many reasons. 1) Arizona gets the Dodgers' 17th pick. 2) Hudson is, at best, a marginal upgrade over a far less expensive DeWitt who has a much higher ceiling. 3) This could mean the Dodgers have given up on Manny."

You guys are nuts. 1) The D-Bakcs were going to get a draft pick no matter who signed O-Dog, so what's it matter if it's the Dodgers or someone else? Plus they already got 2 picks for Lowe, and maybe 2 more if they dont sign Manny, worst case the Dodgers are +1 in draft picks this season.

2) Sorry, DeWitt is good, but Hudson is not just a marginal upgrade, and certainly not "at best". Besides this isn't about DeWitt, it's about Manny and Pierre, see my previous post. (2B: Hudson, 3B: DeWitt, LF: Blake).

3)I promise you they haven't. What this signing does is give the Dodgers a solid lineup to work with while they wait out Manny, which it appears they are prepared to do for as long as they have to (even into the season).

Good Pickup.

The people in here (Boston fans, what a surprise) acting like this is some sort of alternate option to Manny Ramirez, you are absolutely insane. I'm sorry, signing a declining 2B with no power, no speed, and back to back season ending injuries in no means that the Dodgers don't need Manny anymore. The Dodgers improvement on this deal is marginal, if at all. I expect something like .270/.330/.400, something Dewitt could have done.

"Don't really like the signing because I want DeWitt to play. With the dodgers luck, however, Furcal will get hurt and Hudson will move back to SS."

Hudson has never played a game at SS in his major league career, or, as far as I can tell, his minor league career.

"Is it just me or did anyone else see DeWitt in the post-season? Did you see how many times he choked? Sure he's an OK defender, but his bat is worthless."

uh - rookie year, correct? Twins will take him, thanks.

The Dodgers threw away a pretty good pick in the draft for a one year rental.

Doesn't really make sense.

It would have made sense if the Dodgers were one peice of the puzzle away from a World Series, but the fact of the matter is they're not.

They have little pitching NOW.. not to say they won't have a very good rotation in the upcoming years, but not a good 1-5 now. Also, Manny has yet to be resigned.

Why get rid of a good draft pick for a guy who isn't gonna turn this team into a legitimate WS contender for the one year they have him?

DeWitt's upside is that he is younger, and that is about it. DeWitt maintained an OPS of .779 in the minors over his career. The most homers he hit was 19 in 2006, but his stat-line that year was also .251/.320/.399 (pretty ugly). That was in 529 AB's. I can't imagine DeWitt getting much more AB's.

I really don't get how this is a bad signing if DeWitt ends up getting demoted to AAA (if Manny gets signed).

He IS an upgrade defensively at SECOND BASE. He is a LEADER that we need in that clubhouse. Loose and fun. He has solid numbers. This ISN'T a bad signing.

"What does that tell you when a DBacks fan says its good for the Dbacks that Orlando Hudson went to a division rival? Hmmm"

Ummm... because dbacks fans wanted to get the highest compensation possible and for the Dodgers to lose the 17th pick.

I was thinking about the pick as well. They didn't really need a 2B.

"trade for peavy once manny is on board.
the dodgers would have a great line up

martin C
loney 1b
hudson 2b
blake 3b
furcal ss
either rf
kemp cf
ramirez lf

pitching rotation
peavy
bills
kuroda
wolf
kershaw"

Yeah because clearly the Padres wouldn't want anything good for Peavy. You know, like Kershaw or Kemp.

It all depends on what the incentives are. 8mil is a good one year contract if he can play the way he is capable of playing.

"Did you see Alfonso Soriano's bat in the playoffs? His .142 OPS in the 2008 NLDS. His bat is DEFINITELY worthless for the other 162 games in the regular season, amirite?"

I guess DeWitt's June/July last year didn't hurt either, amirite?

People hating on Orlando? Why?
He would have ended up hitting .310 last year if he didnt get hurt. Hopefully he can hit gappers at sea level because we know that he can in Phoenix. Why assume that they will not resign him? Im almost certain they will want to resign him. The Dodgers need to focus on their pitching because their lineup is the best in that division BY FAR

I'd say great chance he'll at least be a type B. Not quite the 17th pick, but still get something good back.

How is Hudson not a marginal upgrade over DeWitt? His defense is below average for the last 3 years. He hits better sure, but he has played over 140 games like twice in his career too.

This only makes sense if they are not going to sign Manny.

Which wouldn't make sense in the first place.

"2) Hudson is a significant offensive upgrade over DeWitt. His OPS is nearly 100 points higher!!!"

Easy with the exclamation points there. Hudson didn't turn into a decent offensive player until 3 years ago, and he was helped by playing in a neoclassical hitter's park. Also, he was nowhere near the offensive player DeWitt is when he was 22 years old. Of course, he didn't hit the majors until he was 24.

"3) Hudson can serve as an insurance policy on Furcal"

And how would he do that? Hudson is not a shortstop and has no professional history as one. Even DeWitt could be considered a better option there, since he was a shortstop in high school. As for a lead off man, the Dodgers would be better suited with just sticking Martin or Kemp up there if Furcal went down.

"4) DeWitt can have a year in AAA to learn 2B and develop further. He'll be ready to take over in 2010. He doesn't have the power for 3B, but he could be a quality 2B once he learns the position."

Ugh. DeWitt played a full season at 2B. Last year was mostly rust, but his skill set will always be better at 3B. As for his power, a simple look at his history shows that the guy has easy 20HR and possibly 40 2B power.

"5) Hudson is still a defensive upgrade"

Marginal at this point and definitely not worth the cost.

"And if we do sign Manny, letting DeWitt develop one more year in AAA isn't a bad thing. We know he can hit in the majors, but we want him to hone his skills more, and not relegate him to a bench role and scattered playing time."

DeWitt doesn't particularly need another year in the minors, especially at a place like Las Vegas that will not give a true showing of his numbers. The fact that he put up a .796 OPS last year at Dodger Stadium under the circumstances speaks highly of his abilities.

"He is only 23 years old, and his career minor league numbers are .280/.333/.446. Nothing special really."

DeWitt's key improvement in the majors over the minors was his plate discipline. That was the only real hole in his game and he really improved on that.

"Although some players didn't develop their full power and potential until they reached the majors."

Actually, that happens with almost anyone who actually has success in the majors.

"Either way, this signing can only help the Dodgers - Manny or no Manny."

Nope. It is a net loss move if they sign Manny. It is a decent move, with the #17 pick to Arizona being a glaring problem, if they don't.

"This only makes sense if they are not going to sign Manny.

Which wouldn't make sense in the first place."

They're still in on Manny, this just allows them to bench Pierre from the get go, rather than having to wait for Manny to return.

2B: Hudson, 3B: DeWitt, LF: Blake. Maybe if I post that enough times people will finally read it. This is about Hudson over Pierre, not Hudson over DeWitt.

Once Manny signs, they'll likely have Blake/DeWitt/Hudson slip time in the infield.

"This only makes sense if they are not going to sign Manny."

How does that make sense? Signing him w.o Manny would be moot because they probably wouldn't be that good, but with Manny, it would give them an even better chance to go far.

"I guess DeWitt's June/July last year didn't hurt either, amirite?"

I guess players don't struggle when they're first called up from the minors and/or go through slumps, amirite?

DeWitt has shown adequate flashes of power overall to go with him as starting 2B.

Having Manny in the lineup, along with guys like Martin and Kemp, should mitigate any potential DeWitt slumps.

cheba63-Because it's a marginal upgrade for 8 million and a draft pick.

It only makes sense if Hudson plays 2nd, DeWitt plays 3rd and Blake plays left.

pavilionbum-Logan White's track record...let me show you it.

"I guess players don't struggle when they're first called up from the minors and/or go through slumps, amirite?"

He had a couple good to great months and a couple horrible months, I don't see how one year later we can automatically expect him not to go through those major struggles again.

MrBlake14-Yeah...that's the point. It's a one year deal and we still have to give up a first rounder.

"cheba63-Because it's a marginal upgrade for 8 million and a draft pick."

If he ends up making 8 million, I'd guess it wound up being much more than a marginal upgrade.

Dewitt/Blake/Pierre + 17th overall pick beats the hell out of Hudson/Dewitt/Blake, + giving 17th pick to division rival. Especially since Pierre is on the roster either way.

He's on the roster but that doesn't mean we need to give him at bats. Big difference. Once again the D-Baks were getting a draft pick NO MATTER WHAT so enough of this "we just gave a pick to a divison rival" business.

Hudson/Dewitt/Blake>Dewitt/Blake/Pierre by far. and like I keep having to repeat, we can afford to lose a pick.

Orlando Hudson's projections

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1307&position=2B#advanced

Blake DeWitt's projections

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=7485&position=3B#advanced

And to be fair to DeWitt, projection systems usually don't factor in progress from young players very well.

Oh goodness, this is for real. Please, someone wake me from this nightmare. This either means no Manny or a lateral switch from DeWitt for 8 times the money and a valuable draft pick to the Dodgers' strongest rival. Either way, BAAAAAD news.

"Playing in Chavez Ravine will be much different, and his road splits don't project well for him."

The one positive of the whole thing is that Hudson has always hit well at Dodger Stadium.

.313 .375 .463 .838

Not a bad slash line, but who knows? It might just have to do with Hudson being the Jim Eisenreich of the 21st century.

"Blake DeWitt has legit 20 HR power, over a full season of ABs, as others have mentioned."

Yep. I don't get why people don't see this. I know he isn't a big guy, but the dude is very strong with an insanely pure swing when he gets it going. He showed more power in the minors than a guy like Jason Giambi did. Now, I'm not saying he will hit 40HR, but that has to say something.