Report: Tampa Bay Rays "In" On Orlando Hudson

I love Matt Joyce, but if you can add another 2.5 WAR player for below market value, then you do that. I can’t even being to think of the bench combinations this would create, but I would think something like Kapler/Aybar/Catcher/Rodriguez would give you amazing in-game flexiblity plus the ability to play LH/RH matchups. This would likely mean delaying Matt Joyce and Reid Brignac another year, but that’s not necessarily a lack of confidence as R.J. said or a bad thing in terms of service clocks.

For the right price, it should be done.

so my solution is we have to waste someone’s defense and the worst of the 3 is Hudson

Put Joyce in RF
Zobrist at 2B
Hudson to DH

and please, please send PTB and like 3 or 4 mil to another team. We have Pena, we don’t need 2 guys with a low average, tons of k’s and in PTB’s case hopefully power.

As for our bench, we have Navarro who will play more than your average backup, Kapler to mash lefties and backup all 3 OF spots with a great glove, Aybar as a back up 1B/3B (with O-Dog, I don’t think he would be even an emergency 2B) and hopefully Sean Rodriguez who can take over for anyone except Shoppach/Navarro

The defensive infield takes a decent hit. Is Hudson’s offense enough to offset the defensive loss? Would it be wiser to spend less to bring back Gross if they want to save Joyce’s clock? Gross/Kap in right with Zo at 2nd is much better defensively. I’m going to look at Gross’s 2009 carefully tomorrow. He really seemed to have a tough luck season. Gross and a reliever sounds like a better deal to me than O-Dog. Not a slight in any means to him.

As in moving there.

I would like the addition of O-Dog, add some nice Offense and his D must not be to bad I mean a gold glove must still mean something today(then again Jeter won one this year).My only question is where would he bat in the lineup?In the 9 spot?

Potential to add 2 – 3 wins? Sure, if Joyce doesn’t make normal progress for someone at his level. But as I see it, Hudson isn’t a defensive upgrade from Zobrist at 2B, and Zobrist isn’t much of a defensive upgrade from Joyce in RF (and Zobrist is enough better at 2B that the difference between him and Hudson there probably offsets any benefit of having Zobrist over Joyce in RF).

So the question is just mostly whose bat is better. Hudson is about a .280 EqA guy. Joyce is about a .270 EqA guy. I just don’t see enough of a difference there to justify the expense.

And I’m not sure I buy the service time argument either. Joyce is already 26. No point in missing his prime years to push his service time back.

The only way this deal would make sense is if the team can do a salary dump on Burrell.

Depth

162 games (plus hopefully the playoffs) is a lot of games. It takes a toll on a team. Adding O-Dawg allows for fantastic depth in the case of injury. Day to day bumps and bruises can easily turn into a quick 15 day DL stint to allow players to fully recuperate. MVB gets banged up, bring up Briggy. O-Dog? Briggy or Puffy. Etc. Etc. Etc. Especially when you factor in Zorilla.

is that isn’t Zobrist of greater value as a 2B than as a RF? I think Zobrist and Joyce/Kapler would provide more overall value to the Rays than Hudson 2B, Zobrist RF (and Joyce back in Durham, I presume?).

If Damon was available for an Abreu-type contract, would you want him here? The guy is a tough out that can play LF or DH. You could probably stick him on first as well. If we could get him for 1/5, would you?

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7150709