This statement might come off sounding ridiculous, considering the big named players that signed in 2009, but I am going to argue that, for at least the time being, the signing of Orlando Hudson is, so far, the best free agent signing of the season.
When you consider the dollar amount, the impact that he's had and the way he has fit in with his teammates, it's hard for me not to think that the Hudson signing was the most shrewd.
There are a lot of huge names that signed, so let's take a look.
Manny Ramirez, two years, $45 mil: Now, we all love Manny around here, and his numbers are going to be of MVP caliber at the end of the year. I don't have a negative thing to say about him, but only positive things to say about Hudson. The O-Dawg makes five times less money and is stellar defensively.
Randy Wolf, one year, $5 mil: Wolf is probably going to be worth every penny, but he won't exceed his value.
Rafael Furcal, three years, $30 mil: Furcal is underachieving right now and he is making two million more than Hudson this year.
Derek Lowe, four years, $60 mil: Lowe has been just what the Braves needed, but they are locked in for fours years and 56 million more than the Dodgers are for Hudson.
Mark Teixeira, eight years, $180 mil: His numbers will be there, but right now Hudson is killing him.
C.C. Sabathia, seven yeras, $161 mil: Same thing as Teixeira. The Dodgers are getting more bang for their buck out of Hudson.
Francisco Rodriguez, three years, $37 mil: Just what the Mets needed, but years and dollars make Hudson look like a steal.
Kerry Wood, two years, $20.5 mil: He's struggling. Hudson is not.
Brian Fuentes, two years, $17.5 mil: Every bit of awful so far.
A.J. Burnett, five years, $82.5 mil: This contract is still a huge joke.
Milton Bradley, two years, $20 mil: Dodger fans have to love that he's hitting about .100. Let's take this opportunity to thank Billy Beane for giving us Andre Ethier.
Adam Dunn, two years, $20 mil: Dunn has been good for the Nats and didn't break the bank. Hudson wins, though, considering the Nats could have probably afforded him too.
Oliver Perez, three years, $36 mil: I'm just laughing right now.
Raul Ibanez, three years, $31.5 mil: So far a great signing for the Phils. But, when he's 40 and still making 10 million per, the Dodgers won't be financially obligated to Hudson if they don't want to be. And, he's much, much younger.
Pat Burrell, two yeras, $16 mil: He's been struggling so far. Not a bad deal, though.
Kenshin Kawakami, three years, $23 mil: Stuck with him and his 84 mph fastball for three years.
Koji Uehara, two years, $10 mil: This is going to prove to be a good signing. Not nearly as good as Hudson, however.
Bobby Abreu, one year, $5 mil: This signing almost compares. It's cheap and for one year, but Hudson is a far better defender and Abreu has lost his power.
Andy Pettitte, one year, $5.5 mil: On the surface it sounds good, but he's got easily attainable performance bonuses that can drive the value to 12 million.
Randy Johnson, one year, $8 mil: He's as old as Jesus and he's got two wins and an ERA of 4.50.
The 31-year old Hudson is batting .336 so far. He leads the National League with 36 hits, he's got eight doubles, three home runs and two doubles. He's also got 15 RBI and four stolen bases.
Talk about value.
He's made just one error, and that means he probably won't make one for quite a while. He is also a very nice guy and has blended in with the team as easily as Manny did.
He's making just 3.38 million, and with incentives it will probably be closer to 4.6. Still, that is one heck of a deal.
For ODawg's price tag, and how well he is performing its hard to argue that he isnt the best free agent signing of the offseason...how many teams could have had him and didnt take the chance? 29 last time I counted!