Tag Archives: Orlando Hudson

In a report for the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes:

“Luis Castillo requested an offseason meeting in which he implored Mets officials not to trade him and also pledged to re-dedicate himself to offseason training to assure he is in top condition next season…Mets officials were pleased that Castillo did not want to flee from the problems. Instead, he stated a desire to play and win as a Met, and change the fans’ booing opinion of him, as well.”

Nevertheless, the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees and Indians are among the teams who have expressed interest in free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson, reports Jon Heyman on his blog for SI.com.

The Giants have ‘serious interest’ in Hudson as well, writes Chris Haft at MLB.com.

According to Heyman, Hudson is seeking a five-year deal worth more than $50 million.

…i am sure castillo is sincere…the thing is, can he change…

…frankly, the New York Post report reads more like a publicity effort from the Mets for castillo, who, from what i can gather, very few teams are interested in acquiring, regardless of what the Mets do to make a deal more attractive…

…the White Sox are rumored to be seeking a second baseman…they also want to rid themselves of Javier Vazquez…to me, there is a natural fit here…

…the Sox would get a second baseman, and while they’d be obligated to castillo for one extra year than they would have been to vazquez, the deal will cut $6 million from chicago’s payroll…

…similarly, the Mets pick up a fifth starter, which they need, for what amounts to an additional $6 million per season, but they clip their commitment by one season…

…for the Mets to make such a move, though, they need to be  certain of how to replace castillo, and right now they are totally focused on the bullpen and signing a front-end starting pitcher…

Tagged Orlando Hudson |

WFAN’s Mike Francesa says he talked with Mets GM Omar Minaya earlier today.

According to Minaya, per Francesa, the Mets intend to use all of their money on pitching, pitching and more pitching this off-season.

The Mets are interested in Francisco Rodriguez, but not for five years, as well as Brian Fuentes and Kerry Wood, and they like White Sox RHP Bobby Jenks, M’s RHP J.J. Putz, and Rockies RHP Huston Street, Minaya told Francesa.

The Mets have interest in free-agent pitchers Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett, but not Ben Sheets, according to Francesa.

Additionally, Minaya told Francesa he intends to make a contract offer, ‘of some sort,’ to Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez.

…francesa essentially said minaya expects perez to seek a contract similar to the four-year deal given to Carlos Silva, which, according to minaya, had a major impact on the market for starting pitchers…

The Mets do not intend on pursuing any big-time offensive players, including Manny Ramirez or Orlando Hudson. 

Instead, Minaya intends to start the season with Luis Castillo at second, Carlos Delgado at first, Ryan Church in right, and a platoon of Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis in left, according to Francesa.

…sure, omar, i’ll believe that when i see it…i think they have to say that right now, because the focus is pitching…however, once they settle on a pitching staff, i am 100 percent certain they will revisit the offense…but, what i am hearing above is, if they are unable to improve on offense, they’ll deal with it, because pitching is that important…

Francesa says Minaya believes Murphy can eventually blossom to be his team’s version of Kevin Youklis, or Dustin Pedroia, i.e., a gritty, hard-nosed player, who other players emulate.

Lastly, the Mets are 100 percent satisfied with Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro, Minaya told Francesa, who added, ‘All of this talk about upgrading at catcher is untrue.’

…nice, NICE work by francesa here, i think…

…i mean, i am little confused why minaya essentially just handed over his entire off-season playbook to a radio talk show on the record…i’d like to think omar is more savvy than that, in fact i know he is, so my suggestion would be to take all of the above with a grain of salt, and understand he is talking in the present…

To listen to WFAN live from your computer, go to WFAN.com.

Tagged Oliver Perez, Orlando Hudson, Pedro Martinez |

In a post to his amazing Hot Stove blog for SI.com, Jon Heyman reports that the Mets have been gauging interest in RHP Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis and 2B Luis Castillo.

According to Heyman, “In preparation to trade Castillo, all Mets executives familiarized themselves with the list of bad contracts on other teams.  Needless to say, it is long.”

If the Mets are able to trade Castillo, Heyman writes, they would like to pursue free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson,’ who is seeking a five-year, $50 million deal.

For a list of ‘bad contracts,’ check out this post from the Boston Globe, where Nick Cafardo broke down each team’s bad contract, while asking, “I never really understood why there aren’t more “swap meet” type deals in baseball. As in, ‘You take what I can’t use and I’ll take what you can’t use.’”

Castillo is due $18 million over the next three seasons.

So, if you have time to kill, go to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, do a little work, and see if you can find a similar contract to Castillo’s, on a team that needs a second baseman, from the list of Cafardo’s players, and find a match for the Mets.

Tagged Orlando Hudson |

In a column for the New York Times, Jack Curry takes a look at 12 free agents, not named Sabathia, Teixeira or Ramirez, such as Orlando Hudson, Derek Lowe, Juan Cruz and Joe Beimel.

According to Curry, “If the Mets ate most of the $18 million left on Luis Castillo’s contract and traded him, they could sign Hudson.  Still, GM Omar Minaya said, ‘Right now, I think Castillo is going to be our second baseman.’

…i love how that is prefaced by, ‘Right now,’ which is classic…i mean, right now, it’s Monday…tomorrow, it will not be…

…i sense the Mets have interest in hudson, and they like him a lot, for a variety of reasons, but i do not think he’s a priority – at least in terms of how they spend their money, and how to fill the roster…if, for some reason, they get iced out of other positions, like left field, or catcher, etc., things could change…

By the way, speaking of second base, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals 2B Adam Kennedy requested a trade in late August of last season.

Tagged Orlando Hudson |

At his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney breaks down the potential teams that would fit free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson.

As far as the Mets are concerned, Olney writes:

“It seems all but certain that the Mets will work to dump Luis Castillo, whose signing was a mistake, and Hudson would fit New York perfectly in so many ways. He would give the Mets tremendous defense at second, covering a lot of the ground on the right side that Carlos Delgado doesn’t cover, and as a switch-hitter, he would fit in perfectly between lead-off man Jose Reyes and those who follow. But beyond all the on-field pluses that he would provide, the chatty Hudson would give the Mets another guy who is comfortable with the media — and in this way, he would give relief to David Wright, Delgado and Carlos Beltran.

The guess here is that Hudson would really help the mercurial Reyes maintain a level of consistency, and help the whole team work through the cloud of doubt that will inevitably hover over the team next September, when questions about the 2007 and 2008 late-season failures will pop up.”

Other potential suitors listed by Olney include the White Sox, Indians, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, Reds, Yankees and Diamondbacks.

Before dislocating his left wrist on August 9th, Hudson was hitting .305 with 41 RBI and 40 XBH.

Tagged Orlando Hudson |

In his most recent mailbag for MLB.com, Marty Noble writes the following about free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson:

“From what I’m told, Hudson, a free agent, yearns to play for the Mets. I can’t be sure of that. I don’t know him. But what I know of him would suit the Mets’ purposes quite well. Whether or not Hudson wants to play at Citi Field, money will be a factor, and the $18 million owed Castillo can make it an issue.”

Hudson, who has missed parts of the last two seasons due hand and wrist injuries, hit .305 with 8 HR and 41 RBI in 107 games last season with the Diamondbacks.

…as i said yesterday, i believe hudson is a must sign this offseason…it’s clear the Mets have missed the energy and leadership abilities of Cliff Floyd the last two season…from what i have heard and read, hudson has many of those same clubhouse qualities…

Tagged Mike Nichols, Orlando Hudson |

In his most recent report for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal lists the Mets as having a 6–to-1 chance of signing free-agent RHP C.C. Sabthia, behind the Yankees and Angels.

Rosenthal also believes Brian Roberts could end up being traded, if he and O’s do not agree on a contract extension.

Lastly, according to Rosenthal, free-agent RHP Brian Fuentes will likely seek a three-year, $38 million deal, similar to what Brad Lidge received from the Phillies.

Rosenthal also discusses whether the White Sox could trade OF Jermaine Dye, what it will cost to acquire Pirates OF Nate McLouth, and where Orlando Hudson could end up, among other things.

…i think hudson is an absolute must for the Mets…i’ve heard and read many baseball pundits compare hudson’s clubhouse energy and leadership abilities to that of former Mets OF Cliff Floyd…the Mets, in my opinion, have missed floyd’s clubhouse presence the last two seasons and hudson may be able to fill that void…problem is, an old, frail and unproductive Luis Castillo currently occupies second base for the next three years…

Tagged Mike Nichols, Orlando Hudson |

At the always-informative MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes takes a closer look at the Mets luxuries and needs.

Regarding catcher, Dierkes suggests that Rangers C Gerald Laird, Indians C Kelly Shoppach, Giants C Bengie Molina and O’s C Ramon Hernandez could all be available in a trade.

The 30–year-old Hernandez hit .290 during 2005, .275 during 2006, and just .258 with nine HR and 62 RBI in 106 games last season for the Orioles. He has $15 million and two years remaining on his current contract, which also includes an $8.5 million club option for 2010.

Meanwhile, Molina, 32, hit .276 with 19 HR and 81 RBI in 134 games for the Giants this past season. He has $12 million and two years remaining on his current deal.

…it’s still early for this type of talk, but i think it’s a logical assumption that the Mets could have interest in molina or hernandez, if for no other reason than they were on their short-list at catcher two off-season ago, as well…by the way, you’re gonna hear a lot about hernandez’s close relationship to Rick Peterson, dating back their days in oakland…i have no idea yet if this is as true as the rhetoric…

Regarding second base, Dierkes writes that, if the team does not want to bring back Luis Castillo, “I’d first learn the asking price for Orlando Hudson, Mark Ellis, and Freddy Sanchez.”

According to the Arizona Republic, during a radio interview in July, Hudson indicated that he would not be surprised if he got traded from Arizona at some point in the next season or two. He is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season.

The 29–year-old Hudson hit .271 during 2005, .287 during 2006, and .294 with 10 HR and 63 RBI for the D’Backs this past season. He has played in at least 131 games during each of his last five seasons, during which he won two Gold Gloves.

Dierkes also offers up his opinion on the starting rotation and outfield, while noting that the team’s biggest luxury is cash and prospects in the way of Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber, Mike Carp and Fernando Martinez.

Tagged Orlando Hudson, Ramon Hernandez | Newer posts →