National Baseball Report

Twins reach agreement with Orlando Hudson

The Minnesota Twins have reached an agreement on a one-year, $5 million contract with Orlando Hudson according to Jon Heyman of Si.com.  Heyman expects the Washington Nationals to go after Adam Kennedy since they lost out to the Twins on Hudson.  Hudson hit .283 with 74 runs and 62 RBI for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.

Tigers say Sizemore expected to play second base

The Detroit Tigers shot down rumors of the club trying to sign second baseman Orlando Hudson by saying that they expect prospect Scott Sizemore to be their second baseman in 2010 according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.  GM Dave Dombrowski said that the second base job is Sizemore's to win but that it will not be handed to him.

"We expect him to be our second baseman," Dombrowski said Monday morning. "We have not changed on Sizemore."

Nothing has changed, either, with Sizemore's expected recovery from a broken ankle he suffered during play in the Arizona Fall League. The Tigers still expect Sizemore to be ready when Spring Training opens, and they expect him to win the job.

Tigers interested in Orlando Hudson

The Detroit Tigers are interested in second baseman Orlando Hudson according to the Detroit Free Press.  The Tigers reportedly asked Hudson if he would switch to third base but Hudson said no.  The Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners are also reportedly interested in Hudson.

Red Sox interested in Orlando Hudson

The Boston Red Sox have inquired about free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.  Hudson is a Type A free agent, but the team that signs him will not lose a draft pick because the Los Angeles Dodgers did not offer him arbitration.

Signing Hudson would force Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia to move to shortstop.  Pedroia recently said that he wants to play shortstop.  The Red Sox are open to the move but would prefer to leave him at second base if possible.

Hudson hit .283 with 74 runs, 62 RBI and a .774 OPS for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.  He lost his job after the Dodgers traded for Ronnie Belliard.

Source: Rob Bradford - WEEI

Buster Olney: Mauer negotiations significant

Buster Olney released his latest column.  Here are the highlights:

• Joe Mauer's negotiations with the Minnesota Twins might be baseball's most important stoeyline.  Mauer's agent is Ron Shapiro, and his history suggests the negotiations will not be all about money.  Shapiro represented Kirby Puckett and Cal Ripken Jr., two superstars who spent their entire careers with one team.  Shaprio got Ripken a record-setting deal with the Orioles, so the Twins will know they have to pay up, but they have a chance.
• Some talent evaluators are concerned about the trend in Curtis Granderson's performance.  Granderson's OPS dropped from .858 to .780 last season and has dropped 133 points since 2007.  These concerns make it unlikely a team will trade a couple of big prospects for Granderson.
• The Cleveland Indians are willing to trade Kerry Wood, who has one year remaining on his two-year, $20 million contract.  However, there are a lot of closers on the market which will make trading Wood difficult.
• The New York Mets feel they will be able to trade Luis Castillo this offseason, something they were unable to do last year.  The Mets would probably go after Orlando Hudson if they do move Castillo.
• Buster emailed Brent Mayne and the response he received said that in Mayne's day when he had guys on his team that could steal signs, they were rarely relayed to the hitter.  Most hitters didn't want to know.  Maybe was addressing Buster's question about catcher trips to the mound in the post-season.  Mayne once caught an etire game using no signs.

Source: Buster Olney - ESPN.com (subscription required)

Larry Stone: Mariners Rumors

Larry Stone just released his latest column.  In this column, Larry addresses some of the rumors swirling around the Seattle Mariners right now:

• Larry doesn't believe the hype of Hideki Matsui joining the Mariners even if he does leave the New York Yankees.  Why would Matsui share his spotlight with Ichiro after being named the World Series MVP?  Also, the Mariners would probably want a DH who can play the field at times and Matsui's bad knees probably prevent that from happening.
• The Mariners would like to have John Lackey (who wouldn't?) at a reasonable price but they will not bid high for him like they have done with some in the past.  If Lackey's price falls because of market conditions then Larry expects the Mariners to take a shot at him.
• Jason Bay is from the Seattle area, but his agent recently said Bay will not limit himself to any area of the country.  Bay is expected to get more than $75 million so the Mariners are probably out of this one.
• If the Mariners are looking for a veteran backup catcher, Mike Redmond might be a good fit.
• Larry doesn't expect the Mariners to go after Orlando Hudson because of his Type A free agent status.  Signing Hudson would cause the Mariners to lose their first round draft pick.
• The rumors of the Mariners thinking about trading for Lyle Overbay are simply a negotiating tactic with Russell Branyan.
• Larry thinks Seattle might go after Rich Harden.  He was healthy last year and has a connection with the Pacific Northwest.
• The Mariners might look into trading for Bronson Arroyo.  The Reds are trying to dump contracts and the Mariners could use a workhorse.

Source: Larry Stone - Seattle Times

National League Gold Glove awards announced

The National League Gold Glove winners were accounced today:

C Yadier Molina
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Orlando Hudson
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Jimmy Rollins
OF Michael Bourn
OF Matt Kemp
OF Shane Victorino
P Adam Wainwright

• Rob Neyer comments on the awards.