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Orlando Hudson

Rosenthal On Hudson, Pudge, Cabrera, Edmonds

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Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Orlando Hudson would like to play for the Royals, but currently they cannot afford him even at a likely salary under $5MM.  They could free up most of the cash by releasing Mark Teahen, but Rosenthal’s source says the Royals are "unwilling to make such a move."  Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals-Hudson idea in this blog post.  The Dodgers are the only other known suitor, though the fit there is questionable in my opinion.
  • The Mets aren’t serious about signing Ivan Rodriguez, though they have discussed it.  The Mets already have $7.4MM committed to their current catching tandem.  Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post goes further, saying the Mets "aren’t interested" in Rodriguez.
  • Currently the A’s are unwilling to meet Orlando Cabrera’s asking price.  They are willing to sacrifice their second-round pick for him if they get their price.
  • Jim Edmonds is "attracting virtually no interest."  Edmonds can still hit righties, so you’d think someone would make an offer.

Orlando Hudson May Sign Soon

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From ESPN’s Buster Olney this morning:

Orlando Hudson is expected to make a decision soon about where he will sign — by Wednesday, perhaps. Hudson won’t get the type of contract he had hoped for this winter, and likely will need to settle for a one-year contract. But if he has a strong season and stays healthy at age 31, Hudson would put himself in position to receive a solid three-year deal in the fall.

Hudson doesn’t have many suitors currently.  The Nationals are out, and the Royals are a long shot.  The Dodgers, Cubs, and White Sox have been mentioned at various points in recent weeks.  Hudson, however, comes with the added cost of the first-round draft pick of those teams.  Maybe certain clubs will re-engage if a sign-and-trade can be done.

Hudson To Royals A Long Shot

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Yesterday, Buster Olney cited the Royals’ interest in Orlando Hudson. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star followed that up today with his perspective: "It still looks like a long shot."

To replace Mark Grudzielanek, the Royals signed Willie Bloomquist to provide competition for Alberto Callaspo and Esteban German, while also allowing Mark Teahen to work out at second base. And while Dayton Moore has still expressed an openness to sign Hudson, he’s also shown confidence in his options as they stand. Dutton writes,

"Signing Hudson, a Type A free agent, would force the Royals to surrender their second-round pick in the June draft to the Diamondbacks as compensation. Club officials indicate that would be acceptable depending on Hudson’s contract — but declined to speculate on those parameters."

Royals Considering Orlando Hudson

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ESPN.com’s Buster Olney heard the Royals are looking for ways to fit Orlando Hudson into their budget. Olney calls this a "terrific idea" that would likely give the Royals a "greatly improved lineup and a better defense."

Earlier in the week, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reported the Royals’ interest in signing a free agent before the season begins. Hudson would cost the Royals their second-round pick.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Thursday

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9:26pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick suggests that the "signings this week of Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn will be the trigger to bring the Dodgers and Ramirez toward a middle ground." 

Gurnick also shares this quote from Giants president Larry Baer, implying that his club is sitting idle on the Manny front: "Nothing’s really changed from our perspective."

4:40pm: Ken Rosenthal offers thoughts on the Dodgers and Manny, as well as Hudson.

3:50pm: Not sure if this qualifies as news, but Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned that Ramirez cancelled a promotional appearance because he could sign a contract at any time.

8:48am: Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the latest on Manny Ramirez today.  Talks continue with the Dodgers, but there’s nothing new to report.

Some had speculated that Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn were the Dodgers’ backup plan, but Ned Colletti and Scott Boras are both claiming the signings don’t affect the Manny negotiations.

How many teams are in on Ramirez?  From Shaikin’s article:

Boras said the other day that he was negotiating with "several" teams for Ramirez. We asked him whether "several" could be defined as "more than two."  He chuckled.  "Two or more," he said.

Shaikin adds that Orlando Hudson "called the Dodgers, not the other way around."  Signing Hudson would mean shuffling around Blake DeWitt and/or Casey Blake.  Ken Davidoff of Newsday notes that the Dodgers have pretty much run out of ways to "reallocate their Manny resources."

Nats Will Not Pursue Orlando Hudson

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According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the Nationals have dropped out of the running for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.

General manager Jim Bowden declined to give a reason why Hudson will not be a member of the team, writes Ladson.

The Nationals must feel comfortable with what they have in Ronnie Belliard, Anderson Hernandez, Alberto Gonzalez and Willie Harris.  Belliard and Hernandez would seem to be the front-runners for the starting second base job.  Belli hit .287/.372/.473 with 11 homers and 46 RBI in 96 games last season, and Hernandez batted .333 with 17 RBI in 28 games after coming over from the Mets in late August.

Royals Monitoring Free Agent Market

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The Royals are leaving the door ajar for a free agent addition or midseason move, says Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Team owner David Glass had this to say:

"Being as candid as I can, we’re close to where we’re going to have to be on payroll.  But you still can make some moves.  One thing that I want to make sure we do is have the flexibility where at midseason, if we’re in this thing, we have the opportunity to improve this team."

Royals GM Dayton Moore on the topic:

"We’ll continue to look at names, and we’re monitoring how things are unfolding with some of the remaining players. But if we add (payroll), we’re going to have to subtract."

The salary of new first baseman Mike Jacobs remains undetermined, with the team submitting $2.75MM and Jacobs at $3.8MM.  Aside from Jacobs, the Royals added about $16MM in ’09 salaries this winter by bringing in Coco Crisp, Kyle Farnsworth, Miguel Olivo, Horacio Ramirez, Doug Waechter, and Willie Bloomquist.

Dutton notes that the Royals had previous interest in Orlando Hudson and Orlando Cabrera, but remain reluctant to lose their second-round pick even if the middle infielders come at bargain prices. 

Report: Dodgers Could Make ‘Big Splash’

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The East Valley Tribune’s Scott Bordow reports that the Dodgers "could make a big splash in the next 72 hours."

"Don’t be surprised if the Dodgers not only sign Manny Ramirez but Orlando Hudson as well," writes Bordow.  It sounded like speculation at first, but Bordow confirmed to me in an e-mail that he heard the news from a "pretty reliable source."

The Dodgers have been linked to Hudson at times this offseason, but have only admitted to having mild interest in the second baseman.  The Dodgers would lose their #17 pick in the June draft if they sign Hudson, but they’re in need of a guy that can play second base every day and he’s the best man available.  Then again, as some readers have pointed out, it might block the development of Blake DeWitt.

Durham Turns Down Offer From Nationals

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According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, free agent second baseman Ray Durham turned down a minor league offer from the Nationals potentially worth $850K plus incentives.  Durham would require more than that, and is 50-50 on retirement.  The offer from Washington was Durham’s first of the offseason.

A note from Crasnick regarding the Cardinals:

The Cardinals, who expressed interest in Durham earlier this winter, released second baseman Adam Kennedy on Monday. But early indications are that St. Louis plans to fill the void from within. If general manager John Mozeliak does pursue a free agent, Orlando Hudson would probably rank ahead of Durham on the priority list.

Durham, 37, authored a strong .380 OBP in 426 plate appearances last year.

Cardinals Release Adam Kennedy

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According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have released Adam Kennedy. They’ll still be responsible for his $4MM salary. The move was "apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa," who didn’t want Kennedy to be his starting second baseman.

Skip Schumaker has been working out at second base, and could play there if the Cards don’t add anyone to replace Kennedy. Strauss mentions Brendan Ryan and a few others as possible competitors for the job.

This is good news for Orlando Hudson, who has another possible bidder for his services.

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