|
According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, “Orlando Hudson said he hasn’t had any contact with the Dodgers since their season ended.”
…the buzz from LA has long been that the Dodgers will not look to bring hudson back… i mean, they barely used him in the post season, and he essentially lost his starting job to Ronnie Belliard, who the team will likely bring back on a one-year deal…
Hudson hit .283 with a .357 OBP, 35 doubles, nine HR and 62 RBI in 149 games for the Dodgers in 2009.
In September, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Mets might try to trade Luis Castillo this winter, ‘and take a look at Hudson,’ who was just named the Glove Glove winner at second base for the National League.
Earlier today, in a post to Amazin Avenue, Sam Page asked, “Is Hudson the answer at second base?”
Similarly, in a post to his blog, Ted Quarters, SNY’s Ted Berg explains why free-agent 2B Felipe Lopez might be a better option than Hudson.
…by biggest fear is that the Mets will actually be able to trade castillo, but then turn around and make the same mistake with hudson, giving him a three-year deal that they’ll regret sooner than later…
…i like hudson, and would prefer him to castillo, no question… but i think there are some Mets fans out there who might be idealizing him… he’s good… but, he’s not that good… just ask the Dodgers…
I like a 3 year/27 million for Figgins
9MM per year for Figgins, who offensively is only marginally better than Luis Castillo? Let’s also remember that we’re going to have to eat some of Castillo’s contract (say 3MM per year) to actually trade him anywhere … or take back a bad contract.
So, you are looking at 12MM per season for Figgins, who hits for no power and only offers slap hitting and speed – and would be playing a position that he is not as good at defensively. Might as well just stick with Castillo and spend 12MM per year on someone that can really help us.
Personally, I think 12MM per year towards Halladay or Holliday would be much better use of money.
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Lopez is terrible defensively. He’s a decent offensive player, but his 2009 sticks out like a sore thumb.
How about Adam Kennedy? He’s cheap, he’s a good hitter, he’s very good defensively… I think he’s the best out there
What does Adam Kennedy give the Mets that Hudson doesn’t?……………..Nothing!
Cheaper
How do you figure he’s cheaper?? They signed for right around the same money in ‘09 ? If Kennedy comes any cheaper than Hudson this offseason it’s because he’s 2 yrs older than Hudson, And one thing the mets don’t need is to sign someone who is older to that position. I mean he’s only 3 months younger than Castillo how much of an ugrade is that?
I rather have Castillo more than all the FAs other than Figgins and possibly Hudson if it is a cheaper deal
Unless it is in the form of Brandon Phillips or that type, the answer to upgrades at 2b should be an emphatic “No, we will deal with Castillo.” There is no need to eat his bad contract, and then pay someone else like Figgins or Hudon, to essentially give you the same production (ok, Hudson will give you somewhat more, but not enough to justify foregoing rotation upgrades or power bats). And while we haven’t done this with Hudson as much, can the speed/defense contingency please stop overrating Figgins?He really will not help the Mets much. This isn’t 2003, and a Pierre-Castillo mold at the top of the order really would not work anymore. You need more thunder at 2.
Thats why I would put Figgins at leadoff and Reyes at 2nd
Eephus, totaly agree about whether or not to upgrade 2nd base. The other needs must be met first (i.e. LF, #2 pitcher) then and only then should the Mets add a Brandon Phillips or a Dan Uggla type at 2nd. I realize that Uggla’s defense isn’t stellar, but the pop in his bat for a 2nd baseman more than makes up for it, and he is still in his arbitration years so there wouldn’t be any draft pick issues with him. Just a thought.
Uggla, Phillips, or don’t bother. Well if you can jettison 100% of Castillo’s salary then Figgins. Hudson should be avoided. The Dodgers not even bothering to contact him should be viewed as a BIG HINT rather than manna from Heaven.
Figgins and Castillo are not comparable at this stage in Luis’ career. Figgins had 42 xbh compared to Luis’ 13 xbh. Our opponents’ outfielders pinch in to the point where Castillo can’t get a runner in from 2nd base.
This post is not meant to disparage Castillo. He absolutely redeemed himself in the eyes of most Met fans by overcoming injuries, restoring his health, and making amends for a fantastic gaffe against the Yankees (on my birthday, no less). However, given the systemic power deficit in our line-up, there’s absolutely no room for Castillo. We should trade him while we can, and scoop up Figgins before the Phillies do.
i want to win so bad it hurts… i dont care if we have the best team on the field .. i dont care what happens off the field .. nothing will matter if they are winning … just win!!!
I thought that Hudson was supposed to be good, but I’m obviously missing something. Can someone please tell me what his shortcomings are? Thanks!
I couldn’t tell you what his shortcomings are. Take away the wrist injury that he had a couple of years ago and all this guy has brought to the table is a 284+ avg, 9-12HR’s every year, and a bunch of runs scored and RBI’s which both of those stats go up and down some depending on the lineup he is in. And don’t forget that he just won another Gold Glove award or as Matt calls it “Glove Glove”.
You forgot considerably more extra base power than Castillo and even Figgins (who would be considerably more expensive than Hudson) oh BTW 2nd base is Hudson’s natural position, whereas it’s a secondary position for Figgins.
I agree Matt, that people may be “coveting” Hudson a bit too much, but one must keep in mind that Orlando is not a “Torre” type of player. He does not like guys with flair, that is okay, but the Mets need that type of body in their clubhouse. Hudson is not the answer, but he certainly could be part of the puzzle and the fact is if fans want the change they covet it comes with risk, period.
As far as “eating” Castillo’s contract as some people have said, stop looking at it through only your eyes without objectivity. You only see Castillo for his failings, and that is not how teams, scouts and GMs operate. Castillo can be moved, especially off of 2009.
Patrick -
Good point on Castillo. I agree that he holds value for many teams, though his salary carries NY inflation, which would have to be adjusted in any trade, unless we threw in some greater prospect for another team’s lesser prospect.
Addendum: I’d rather have Figgins than Hudson due to concerns about Hudson’s durability. He faded last year and the year before he landed on the DL with an injured wrist. Notwithstanding, he’s a talented ballplayer and deserves some consideration. He would certainly be an upgrade of sorts over Castillo, but less so than would be Figgins.
Even a marginal increase in production that Hudson can provide over Figgins is huge considering he will likely not require a 4 or 5 year contract that Figgins figures to get. Not too mention Hudson will be cheaper than Figgins. Considering the holes the team has, clearly there will be less money to upgrade 2nd base if they do things right and sign a big bat and a #2 Starter. I do like the Phillips kid, but the question remains who would we have to give up to get him,as I can imagine if Omar trades any chips (the kind that likely would be required to obtain Phillips) those chips would already be spent on either a SP or perhaps Mr. Gonzales at first base. (an extreme longshot)
Does everybody realize that if we got Brandon Phillips, we would be getting a five tool player at 2B. Phillips is dirty!
He can hit!!! and he’s a gold glover.
What a huge upgrade he would be, please get Phillips forget everyone else. Uggla’s a butcher on defense, remember that all star game. If we can’t get Phillips, then yes I would Orlando. The question is what are we getting for Castillo in a trade.
The only way this makes sense if you can move Castillo’s contract, is it really worth it to keep paying Castillo and paying somebody else who is only a marginally better player?
Also, we can’t depend on Uggla, he is bad defensively, we need defense. I agree with 7train I like Phillips, but we can move Castillo’s contract? It looks like Omar is at least trying, so let’s see how this plays out