Jays would get Glaus, Prospect for Batista, Hudson
The
Arizona Diamondbacks and the
Toronto Blue Jays are on the verge of completing a trade that would send
Troy Glaus and a prospect to Toronto in exchange for pitcher
Miguel Batista and second baseman
Orlando Hudson, a person familiar with the talks told ESPN's Peter Gammons.
Arizona signed Glaus to a four-year, $45 million contract last offseason, but the Diamondbacks reportedly would like to free up money and the third baseman has been mentioned in trade talk throughout this offseason.
A trade also would free up Arizona's logjam at the corner positions.
Chad Tracy could move from first base to third base, while
Tony Clark and
Conor Jackson, one of the organization's top prospects, could split time at first base.
The Blue Jays have made major upgrades to their roster this offseason, signing
A.J. Burnett (five years, $55 million) and closer
B.J. Ryan (five years, $47 million) for the pitching staff and trading for first baseman
Lyle Overbay.
Glaus hit .257 with 37 homers and 97 RBI last season. Because of injury -- Glaus totaled only 34 home runs in both the 2003 and 2004 season -- he was limited to 58 games in '04 because of shoulder surgery, but last season Glaus appeared in 147 games, his most since his World Series MVP season of 2002.
As long as he stays healthy, Glaus is a bone fide 30-homer threat, having hit a career-high 47 in 2000, his third year in the majors.
Batista became expendable with the signing of Ryan. Toronto's full-time closer last season, Batista saved 31 games while going 5-8 with a 4.10 ERA.
Hudson, who turned 28 earlier this month, batted .271 in 131 games, with 10 home runs and a career-high 63 RBI.
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Orland Hudson Scouting Report
2004 Season
At one point in his career, there was a concern that Orlando Hudson and Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi couldn't co-exist. Yet there was Ricciardi last year, plugging Hudson for a Gold Glove, and with good reason: few players at his position showed the range on shallow flyballs of Hudson. But it was at the plate that Hudson made the biggest strides, becoming a much more integral part of the Blue Jays' offense.
Hitting
Hudson is a line-drive hitter who feasts on low balls, likes to use the whole field and last year showed surprising power from the right side. The Blue Jays managed to get him to lower his hands from the right side (shortening his swing) and keep his upper body more erect. Harder-throwing lefties still present a major problem for Hudson, and his swing lengthens noticeably against them, but he does a better job of staying in for the fight than he did earlier in his career. He has a tendency to rush himself at the plate, and that throws off his upper body.
Baserunning & Defense
The Blue Jays would like Hudson to show more aggressiveness on the basepaths and take advantage of his speed and athleticism. Hudson was a third baseman in his minor league career, and that arm strength serves him well at second, as well as on balls hit into the hole. He has quick feet and has become fearless on the double play. His development was one of the reasons that the Blue Jays put together the second-highest fielding percentage in the AL after tying for 11th in 2003.
2005 Outlook
Hudson never will produce the on-base percentages necessary for a leadoff hitter, but he is ticketed to be the everyday No. 2 hitter in the Blue Jays' lineup, especially now that he has upgraded his work from the right side of the plate. It's a sign of his growing reputation that he is a favorite trade target of other teams.
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This trade came out of nowhere. I don't understand this trade too much as the only positive is it free's up money. Batista is a good addition but nothing special. We have no need for Orlando Hudson and I hope Byrnes isn't thinking about using him as our leadoff hitter. He has a horrible career OBP and he strikes out nearly twice as many times as he walks. He does play good defense and is very cheap. I'm assuming the prospect we're trading is Koyie Hill- good ridance. I'm not sure what this means for Craig Counsell as they both play 2nd base and both hit in the 2 hole. You would think that there would be a better trade offer on the table than one involving a decent veteran pitcher and a average 2nd baseman who isn't really needed. At least we free up a ton of money and can really attack the FA pitching market next offseason.