Hudson traded to Braves for Three Players, What do you think?
A’s Trade Tim Hudson to Atlanta
Acquire LHP Dan Meyer, RHP Juan Cruz and OF Charles Thomas
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland A’s today traded right handed pitcher Tim Hudson to the Atlanta Braves for left handed pitcher Dan Meyer, right handed pitcher Juan Cruz and outfielder Charles Thomas.
Hudson was 12-6 with a 3.53 ERA in 27 starts with the A’s last year. He ranked fifth in the American League in ERA, tied for the lead in shutouts (2), tied for fourth in winning percentage (.667) and tied for fifth in complete games (3). Hudson also tied for the second lowest slugging percentage (.366) in the A.L. but he allowed a career high .267 opponents batting average and his ERA was the second highest of his career. The 29-year old right hander allowed just eight home runs in 188.2 innings, for a major league low 0.38 home runs per nine innings.
Hudson is 92-39 with a 3.30 ERA in 183 starts in six seasons in the major leagues. His .702 winning percentage is third best in major league history among pitchers with 100 or more decisions and is an Oakland record. Hudson also leaves the A’s ranking fourth on the Oakland career list in strikeouts (899), fifth in wins, sixth in innings (1240.2) and games started (183), tied for eighth in shutouts (8) and ninth in ERA. He is in the final year of a five-year contract and is eligible for free agency following the 2005 season.
Meyer made his major league debut with the Braves last year, posting a 0.00 ERA in two relief appearances in September. He spent the balance of the season with Double-A Greenville and Triple-A Richmond where he combined to go 9-6 with a 2.49 ERA in 26 games, 24 starts. The 23-year old left hander is 19-19 with a 2.71 ERA in 67 career minor league appearances, 65 starts. In 352.0 career innings, he struck out 381 and walked just 87. Meyer was the Braves first round pick in the 2002 free agent draft.
Cruz was 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 50 relief appearances with Atlanta last year. He allowed a .224 opponents batting average and struck out 70 batters in 72.0 innings. The 26-year old right hander pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2001-03 and is 14-21 with a 3.99 ERA and one save in 128 appearances over four seasons in the majors.
Thomas made his major league debut with the Braves last year and hit .288 with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 83 games. He began the season at Triple-A Richmond and was leading the International League in batting (.358) and on-base percentage (.416) when he was brought up to Atlanta on June 23. The 25-year old Thomas was originally drafted by Atlanta in the 19th round of the June, 2000 draft.
The trade between the A’s and Braves is the first major league transaction between the two clubs since March 29, 1977 when the A’s acquired Pablo Torreabla for cash considerations. It was the A’s longest trade drought with any team.
Click below for my immediate reaction!
It may not be as bad as it looks if Thomas can hit AL pitching. Meyer looks like a top prospect, low walks, high strike outs, if he was an A’s farmhand with these numbers, everyone would say he has a bigger upside than Joe Blanton. Cruz is a decent set up guy with a big league fastball. Probably means that Chad Bradford is gone. Bobby Kielty too if the A’s want to admit that the Lilly deal didn’t work out.
Marty
0 comments
Now we probably know more about the payroll (on the lower side of the speculations..I was right to be concerned about how the Kendall trade would affect signing Huddy), about the A’s estimation of Huddy’s health issues (risky), and about short vs. long term contentions (weakens the A’s for 2005, especially vs. the rest of the AL west). of course there may be more trades, but that’s my take on this trade. They may have gotten more on a 1-2 year timeline than they would have gotten if he had walked after 2005, but these 3 won’t come close to making up for Huddy in 2005.
Of course I’ll continue to root for my beloved Oakland A’s. But I am very sorry to see Huddy go. I hope the A’s don’t come to regret this one.
OaklandSi
Marty,
I think that this is a good trade for the A’s. Of course like everyone I am disapointed in the loss of Huddy, but I think if he was not going to be resigned this is the best case scenario. Meyer looks like he will be a stud, if he is not ready at the start of the year I see him as a mid-season stud(i.e. hudson, zito, harden) Cruz has a live arm which seems to be a very good trend in the A’s revamped bullpen (begone days of Mecir’s whiffle ball pitches) and Thomas (or chucky as he is called in ATL) has a chance at being a very decent player. So, under the circumstances this is all very positive for the A’s. Still sad to see THE MAN leave. My only hope is that people around teh country will now realize that Hudson is one of the top 3 pitchers in the game. But, Marty you have already said that this probably means goodbye to Kielty, but what about Brynes? Is he still going to be given the long rumored two year extension or is this an indication that he might be gone?? Also, with the 6 million that the A’s are saving could it possibly go towards getting some pop (besides Juan-gone?) Maybe make a 4 mil. dollar pitch at Maggs??? If Hattaberg is also dealt that could free up a lot more money. It looks like Oakland A’s version 2.0 is coming together quite nicely.
—-Luis
The truth of the matter is that the a’s will not pay
any player 13 or 14 million dollars a year. Huddie
is as good as pedro but several years younger and
if martinez can get that kind of money from the mets and pavano get a bundle from the yanks, it stands to reason that tim’s pay was in that range and the a’s will never pay that kind of money.
It’s a shame because the club will always be rebuilding and any player worth his salt will be gone
after 6 years. In this case, it was 5. They did not
want to lose him as a free agent and got something of value in return. Will it work out? who knows? The players tha A’s got may be wunderkids
but the only way to find out will be the result at the end of the season.
Jerry F
I think Byrnes stays and will sign a deal taking him thru his arbitration years. Swisher can platoon with Thomas to take some pressure off. When Cruz was on the Cubs he was highly sought by other teams. At best he looks like a five to six inning starter with a live fastball, The biggest gamble is hoping that Mulder will return to his 18 -20 win form and Zito will bounce back big time. Hudson guaranteed 7 innings every time out. Can Harden do that? Joe Blanton to me is still a project and I wouldn’t get excited about him until he has gone through the league twice, about June or July. I think the biggest gamble is putting the teams success in Mulder’s and Zito’s hands. Not having the big three will be something to get over. Keith Ginter can hit but who scares you in the lineup? Probably a lot more close games coming up. Ordonez? Who will sign him before he works out? Maybe the A’s have one more deal coming, but I doubt it. A’s are a team still relying on great pitching, does the staff seem great? Dan Meyer, can’t wait to see him in spring training.
Marty
This is what public blackmail looks like, plain and simple. Schott is intentionally being stingy and trying to keep his budget to a minimum in order to maximize his pleas for a new, pubicly financed stadium. It’s a joke. A’s aren’t going to come close to contending next season and I can’t wait till Chavez criticizes the team for trading away Hudson (Chavez said he doesn’t want to be signed if it means disbanding the Big 3) and for not acquiring a bonafide #4 hitter to protect him in the lineup.
-Mike E.
I meant publicly, not “pubicly.” 🙂
-Mike E.
Marty:
Read the posting on your site. Agree with you about Kielty. Ginter as a right-handed bat more than makes up for Kielty’s lack of production. Do think they’ll keep Bradford, if he’ll agree on a reasonable two-year deal. And yes, on the surface, some pretty good talent coming to the A’s. Yet, I had hoped that at least one player in a deal for Hudson would have been a young, yet experienced, reasonably priced good hitter– e.g. Pena, Dunn, Kearns, Rowand, or Mench. Thomas may fill the bill; his minor league OBP is terrific; his defense is solid; but the jury is still out. Do like Meyer’s numbers, especially the K/BB ratio. Cruz may be insurance in the event the A’s trade or non-tender the pricey, Dotel. Personally, I’d love to see Huston Street compete with Cruz to be the A’s next closer.
Bruce
Marty,
isn’t Cruz a relief pitcher? You mention here his being a 5-6 inning starter.
OaklandSi
I really don’t like this deal at all. People, this is TIM HUDSON we’re talking about! A proven ace. One of the very best in either league. Over the coarse of years. A clubhouse rock.
In Thomas the A’s get a solid fourth outfielder. Yippidy doo.
In Meyer they get an unproven minor leaguer, with good numbers there (remember Justin Lehr, Joe Valentine). Hooray!
Minor league numbers mean zip. And Juan Cruz…a very inconsistent middle reliever, a guy who was a highly touted porspect, but now looks to be only an average major league player, caps off the deal. Whoopie!
Terrible trade. For someone like Hudson you make sure you get a PROVEN STAR and then minor leaguers with good numbers…not three shmoes with decent numbers.
Worst trade of Beane’s career.
Its my frickin’ birthday too no less.
–Ned
My heart is broken. Tim Hudson was everything you want in a ballplayer. It is still so hard to realize that the A’s will never have a superstar. They can breed them, and then when they get good, they are gone without a fight. So very sad.
I predict that Hudson will win the Cy Young next year. So so sad. Who cares who we got? We lost the man.
He has been tried as a starter in the past without success. Not enough pitches that he can throw with any consistency.
Marty
whoever said the A’s won’t pay any players 13 – 14 mil is right. and that is the beauty of this organization….
not so much that they’re not out there spending like crazy….
but that they keep infusing the major leagues with young talent.
that’s what makes it fun to watch this team — can the rookies, unwanted and unknowns come out and
whoop those big city boys?
i don’t know about you but i’m more excited about seeing that, than i am about randy johnson square
off against schilline. well ok, that will be good….but
maybe you get the idea.
i have loved every single minute i have watched huddy pitch. sheer determination and moxy.
he’s gone. but i remain no less excited about this team and their future.
cheers to huddy!
Beane is all about collective team stats (though his exclusion of a player like Guillen would indicate he also measures intangibles like team leadership qualities), but do stats win a world championship? Hudson brought an attitude to the clubhouse. I don’t ever remember Huddy sitting in the dugout; he was always leaning up against the rail, joking with Menechino or Mulder or someone, but intently observing… really there.
Though he has been arguably the least decorated of the big three I believe he has been the hot white core of this generation of A’s. You could see it
in his very first game. I remember watching that game on TV and getting overwhelmingly excited about the Athletics impending future with each
strikeout. The kid was a sure thing.
I was (and a lot of others were, too, judging from the references in print) looking forward to seeing Hudson pitch to Kendall. Would the intensity have
been at the level of Stew/Steinie, or even Lefty/Cochrane, the greatest 1-2 in A’s history? That’s something to miss, and boy will I miss it. Will it stop me from being an A’s fan? No, but I it may diminish the level that I can emotionally afford to be a fan; it pushes me away, hardens my emotions.
This is not a new syndrome for an Athletics fan… you say “duh”… but this is nothing compared to the giant sucking sounds heard in the organization in the ‘teens and ’30s when Mr. Mack was dismantling those Athletics squads. At least Beane has got a clue; more than a clue, a method… but it’s sure hard to root for a method. I think his quote from Moneyball was …”change is always good.” Well, that may be true for the
organization, but it sure makes it tough on the fan.
Hudson goes to “America’s Team”, it was a sad day for us A’s fans and Beltre signing with the M’s don’t help either, but Athletics fans move on in their baseball life. The trade reminds of a Donald Trump’s quote of “It’s not personal, it’s business”. Thomas ,according to Braves fans on their site, is similar to Byrnes type of player, and Bobby Cox gave him high marks, too. Meyer and Cruz will be interesting, Marty are the only one who has given great information about these guys. The A’s may face Huddy in June when the club visits Atlanta for Interleague play. Good luck, Timothy Adam Hudson.
-Pachyderm (Edgar B. Martinez)
Atlanta got a great pitcher, they will lose in the playoffs again though.
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