If you want to see how fortunate Brian Roberts is to have gotten the deal he received, contrast it with Orlando Hudson — a second baseman that has multiple Gold Gloves and a stellar reputation.
From MLB.com: Free agents are on sale, and the Dodgers picked one up on the cheap Friday when they agreed with second baseman Orlando Hudson on a one-year contract, baseball sources confirmed.
The deal is worth $3.4 million with another $4.6 million in possible incentives.
The three-time Gold Glove and 2007 All-Star will take over the position from the retired Jeff Kent. Hudson had originally sought a multiyear deal at $10 million annually, but the free-agent market crashed, and he slashed his asking price. The deal came together quickly after it was reported that the Dodgers had also begun talks with another free-agent infielder, Orlando Cabrera.
The economy is bad — real bad — however, aside from loyalty that Baltimore has shown Roberts, how can you justify the difference in salary between the two players?
That’s pretty shocking. I guess in this economy, you take what you can get.