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Orlando Hudson

Odds & Ends: Twins, Izturis, Rangers, Yankees

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Seven years ago today, Luis Castillo popped a ball up into the stands at Wrigley Field and a fan caught it, even though Moises Alou was right there. The Cubs were five outs away from clinching a World Series berth, but they ended up losing the 'Steve Bartman game' and the 2003 NLCS. Here are your links for Thursday…

Free Agent Stock Watch: Orlando Hudson

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Orlando Hudson is having another solid season, though he has missed time with foot, oblique and wrist injuries. His .284/.358/.402 batting line is more than acceptable for a second baseman and his defense, which has earned him four Gold Gloves, has been excellent, according to UZR/150. (Hudson has a 14.9 UZR/150 in 2010 after posting negative UZR numbers from 2006-09).

The 32-year-old now projects as a Type A free agent and while that status has been an obstacle for Hudson before, the Twins can't offer him arbitration if he still qualifies as a Type A free agent after the season. Minnesota could look to bring him back, but they won't be the only interested team. The Indians and Nationals offered him contracts last year and could have renewed interest this offseason, depending on how they evaluate their internal options. The A's (depending on Mark Ellis' option), Cardinals and Padres could inquire about Hudson's asking price as well.

We don't have to look far to start determining what kind of contract Hudson can expect. He signed a one year deal worth $3.38MM plus incentives two winters ago before signing a one-year $5MM deal last offseason. Hudson's having another good year and if history is any indication, he'll sign another one-year deal worth $5MM or so.

Nationals Notes: Hudson, Morgan, Norris

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Let's take a look at some Nationals tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson..

  • Recently, Ladson said that he would be writing about the Nats possibly signing Orlando Hudson for the third year in a row.  However, the Nats beat writer now believes that the club has its second baseman of the future in Danny Espinosa.  Pat Corrales, the team's senior assistant in player development, believes that the 23-year-old is the best all-around player in the organization.  Espinosa was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse in early August and has posted a .295/.349/.463 slash line in 24 games.
  • One reader asks if the Nationals can find a way to get beleaguered outfielder Nyjer Morgan's head back into the game.  Ladson isn't sure why Morgan has been struggling this year but says that he could see Washington dealing him this offseason.  Unsurprisingly, however, he doesn't envision the club getting much in return.  People in the organization have said that he should be a fourth outfielder, an idea which likely wouldn't sit well with the 30-year-old.
  • Even after acquiring Wilson Ramos from the Twins for Matt Capps, Ladson says that the Nats should hold on to fellow catcher Derek Norris.  The Nats have historically had trouble with their depth at catcher and could use the security of having Norris in the fold.  The former fourth-round pick was ranked second in the Nats' farm system by Baseball America heading into this year, ahead of Espinosa, Drew Storen, and Ian Desmond.

Players Who Cannot Be Offered Arbitration

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Being designated a Type A free agent can be a detriment if the team offers arbitration.  If the player accepts, he's off the market on a one-year deal and has a limited salary range.  If he declines, his new team must surrender a draft pick upon signing him.  Carrying around the added draft pick cost, Juan Cruz and Orlando Cabrera were among those with fewer opportunities as free agents after the '08 season.

As a result, a contractual clause prohibiting the team from offering arbitration if a player receives Type A status has been gaining in popularity.  During the 2009-10 offseason, at least four players had this clause added:

  • Orlando Hudson, Legacy Sports.  Hudson was offered and turned down arbitration from the Diamondbacks after the '08 season, and was surprised he could only find a one-year deal from the Dodgers guaranteeing $3.38MM.  The Dodgers were willing to give up the #17 overall pick to get Hudson at the reduced rate.  Hudson avoided the problem when the Dodgers chose not to offer arbitration after the '09 season.  His agent made sure it would not surface again after '10 by having a clause included in his Twins contract prohibiting the team from offering arbitration if he's a Type A.  Hudson is a Type B right now anyway.
  • Brad Penny, Legacy Sports.  Penny was well-paid by the Cardinals given his 2009 stats, but he also had the "no arbitration offer" clause included.  That might've been optimistic, since right now he's not even a Type B.
  • Justin Duchscherer, Lapa/Leventhal.  The A's offered arbitration to Duchscherer, a Type B, after the '09 season.  He declined and re-signed, and this time made sure the team cannot offer if he's a Type A.  The point is moot, as Duchscherer is below Type B and may miss the rest of the season with hip surgery.
  • Ben Sheets, CAA.  Not only did Sheets snag a huge $10MM guarantee after missing all of '09, he got this clause added just in case he has a season awesome enough to vault him to Type A status.  I'm not sure that's even possible.  Though he's been better recently, he'd need to quadruple his current Elias points (15.175) to reach Type B. 
  • Scott Boras may have been out front on this trend.  He had the clause included in Ivan Rodriguez's one-year, $10MM deal with the Marlins in '03 as well as Carlos Beltran's seven-year, $119MM deal signed in '05.  Beltran is a Type A at this time, but the Mets might not have offered arbitration after '11 anyway.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Hechavarria, Benson, Teahen

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Tuesday night linkage…

Free Agent Racism?

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Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson hinted that racism is why Jermaine Dye is out of work, reports Yahoo's Jeff Passan.  Hudson's comments:

"You see guys like Dye without a job.  Guy with [27 home runs and 81 RBIs] and can't get a job. Pretty much sums it up right there, no? You've got some guys who miss a year who can come back and get $5, $6 million, and a guy like Jermaine Dye can't get a job. A guy like Gary Sheffield,  a first-ballot Hall of Famer, can't get a job.  We both know what it is. You'll get it right. You'll figure it out. I'm not gonna say it because then I'll be in [trouble]."

Passan is correct in that the perception of racism in the free agent market is a problem.  But let's look at individual cases referenced in the article:

  • Gary Sheffield hit well in 312 plate appearances for the Mets last year, but was lousy the year prior.  The 41-year-old is a big negative on defense.  He battled knee, back, and hamstring injuries, and sat out a game in August when the Mets declined his request for a contract extension.
  • Passan provides good examples in Kenny Lofton and Ray Durham.  But Lofton was said to be asking for $2.5-3MM by some, $6MM by others.  In the spring of '08 Lofton was a near 41-year-old part-time player with suspect defense.  Durham, 37 at the time, turned down an $850K offer from the Nationals.  He was still able to hit, but his defense was questionable.  Isn't it possible that the common thread here is age and defense rather than race?  Luis Gonzalez and Jim Edmonds couldn't find anything after the '08 season either.
  • Passan names three white players who did get paid this winter:  Aubrey Huff, Garrett Atkins, and Xavier Nady.  Presumably Passan is implying that if these three got $3-4.5MM, Dye should've too.  However, Huff and Atkins were both named by team execs are two of the worst signings of the offseason.  It's very possible that the Giants and Orioles just made bad signings.  One exec told me he preferred Hank Blalock, who signed a $925K minor league deal, to Huff.  And the Cubs made similar offers to both Dye and Nady.  Nady was coming off a lost season, but he's younger and had more first base experience. 
  • Dye has been picky; he said yesterday that to move his family to Washington, D.C. he'd require "a little bit more."  When the Rangers were interested, there was word that Dye did not want a full-time DH job.  Dye appears unwilling to settle for the $1.5-2MM players like Jim Thome and Russell Branyan received. 
  • Hudson referred to players who missed a year and got $5-6MM.  Presumably he's talking about Ben Sheets, but the situation isn't comparable to Dye.  Coco Crisp snagged $5.5MM (also from the A's) coming off a 49-game season cut short by surgeries on both shoulders.  The pair of moves was about the A's making injury upside plays.  Unlike the older free agents forced out of the game, Crisp is known for his defense.
  • Hudson's point deserves consideration, but he has to acknowledge the shift toward defense and youth as well.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Red Sox, Bedard, Mets

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A Super batch of links..

  • In a piece for Fangraphs, Dave Cameron writes that the Twins are in the mix for the best offseason in baseball.  Earlier this week, Minnesota agreed to a one-year deal with Orlando Hudson for just $5MM and appear to be close to locking up Joe Mauer.
  • Even former Met Darryl Strawberry offered up a critique of the Mets' quiet offseason, writes Newsday's David Lennon. Strawberry said that the offseason "could have been better," when asked about it. Lennon's piece looks at some offseason targets that never became a reality for New York.
  • Following up on yesterday's news that Bobby Kielty is converting to a pitcher, MLBTR heard from Kielty himself via email. Kielty says his ultimate goal is to be a right-handed bat off the bench and eat up some relief innings if necessary. He threw some bullpens for the Mets last season and has thrown for Oakland as well. Kielty says he reads MLBTR every day. Thanks for the support, Bobby!
  • Peter Abraham has the full list of players who will be with the Red Sox in training camp this year.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that Erik Bedard seriously considered an offer from the Orioles similar to the deal he signed to return to Seattle. 
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post spoke one agent about the Mets, who said "How can you have that payroll and still not have a starting catcher or first baseman, a second baseman you hate and no legitimate starters after Johan?”
  • Paul Lo Duca is unlikely to accept a minor league assignment if he doesn't make the Rockies, reports Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. Colorado signed Lo Duca to a minor league deal in January.
  • Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that Pirates' GM Neal Huntington admitted that there are "a lot of rumblings" that prospect Jose Tabata might actually be in his mid-20's. Tabata's listed age is 21, and ESPN's Keith Law ranked him as the 57th best prospect in baseball last month. The Pirates originally acquired Tabata from the Yankees in 2008 as part of the Xavier Nady–Damaso Marte trade.

Cafardo’s Latest: Beckett, Red Sox, Twins, Lowry

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The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo has plenty of rumors from around the league for us this morning, so let's round them all up…

  • The Red Sox are likely to use Roy Halladay's three-year, $60MM deal "minus $6 million-$8 million" as a guideline for a potential Josh Beckett extension rather than John Lackey's five-year, $82.5MM deal. The reason being that they have some concern about the long-term health of his shoulder.
  • If another team comes offering Beckett big money after the season, the Sox will move on just as they did with Jason Bay. They could then look into free agents like Cliff Lee, who they pursued at the trade deadline, or even Ben Sheets and Brandon Webb if they bounce back from injury problems of their own.
  • With all of their additions this offseason, the Twins' payroll will jump from $65M to about $96M as they move into Target Field this year. GM Bill Smith said it will be up to manager Ron Gardenhire to determine how they use Jim Thome, and that they did their homework on Orlando Hudson's left wrist, which has given him trouble the last few seasons.
  • Minnesota's payroll will be larger than the Dodgers' this year.
  • The Red Sox watched Noah Lowry's recent workout, but "don't appear interested in signing him."
  • Dodgers' third base coach Larry Bowa said he knows that Manny Ramirez still wants to play another three or four years.
  • Two big league executives feel that the Giants and Tim Lincecum will settle on a contract before an arbitration hearing.
  • One reason the Cubs signed Kevin Millar was to loosen up the clubhouse after the Milton Bradley fiasco last season.
  • Drayton McLane is reportedly seeking $700MM to part with the Astros, but it's tough to see someone coming up with that when the Rangers sold for approximately $575MM.

Odds & Ends: Jackson, Norman, Dye, Lester, Manny

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Some links for Friday night…

Orlando Hudson’s Other Offers

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Orlando Hudson agreed to a one-year $5MM deal with the Twins yesterday, but other teams were in it until the end. Here's a look at the offers the O-Dog turned down to play in Minnesota:

  • The Nationals offered Hudson a $4MM deal that could have reached $5MM with incentives, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • The Indians offered Hudson $10MM over two years, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Indians, who have had a remarkably quiet offseason, wanted Hudson on a heavily-backloaded deal. Lots of money was tied up in the buyout of a third year option.
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