Orlando Hudson is a veteran second baseman who goes by the nickname “O-Dawg.”  Orlando’s abilities may have diminished over the years, but something did get better.  

Orlando is one of the greatest clubhouse men of all time.  He is a great guy and all of his teammates love him.  He has a great sense of humor and provides leadership that can really turn around a bad clubhouse. 

Orlando played with the Dodgers and Twins in 2009 and 2010, respectively.  This season he batted .280 and helped the Twins win the American League Central.  The Twins have one of the best clubhouses in the league, and I’m sure O-Dawg plays a big part in it. 

The Mets‘ current second basemen are Luis Castillo and Ruben Tejada.  Castillo is aging and losing his range in the field, and Tejada is a young, promising prospect.  If the Mets can find a way to get rid of Luis Castillo, then they should definitely make a run at Orlando Hudson.

Orlando Hudson has often expressed interest in playing for the Mets, but the Mets never pulled the trigger.  If the Mets get the opportunity to sign Hudson at the right price, then I will be all for that move. 

Orlando is a superb clubhouse guy, but he can also hold his own at the plate.  At 33 years old, he can still hit for a solid average and is also decent in the field.  This would be a home-run signing for the Mets. 

If the Mets make this move, then Ruben Tejada will not see major league playing time for a while.  That might be good for him though.  Ruben will most likely be sent back down to the minors where he can work on his skills.

Orlando can also mentor him in spring training and give him plenty of great advice.  Hudson is a smart baseball player who would make a great mentor for a kid like Ruben.

I’m not saying that the Mets have to give Orlando a big, juicy contract, but a one- or two-year deal worth around $5 million would be fantastic. 

The Dodgers signed O-Dawg in 2009 and made the playoffs.  The Twins also made the playoffs with Hudson this season, while the Dodgers didn’t play nearly as well as they had in 2009.

This may be a coincidence, but I beg to differ.  Orlando is a winning player who will flourish in the New York spotlight.  If the Mets play their cards right with this guy, they could be in line for great things.  It will be interesting to see how the Mets approach Orlando Hudson this offseason.  If they know what’s best for them, then they’ll reach out to him and sign him. 

There’s one problem though.  Orlando is a type A free agent.  That means that if the Twins offer him arbitration, then the team that signs him will have to surrender their 2011 first-round draft pick.  I am totally against that, but I’m hoping that the Twins don’t offer Orlando arbitration.  All we can do is watch and see how this pans out.

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