Trading Fausto to sign Hudson is backwards thinking
By Ed Carroll
Over at Let’s Go Tribe there’s a blurb about the possibility of trading Fausto to clear some money for the Indians to sign free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.
These are the type of rumors that crack me up, but also scares the living $*** out of me.
It’s so ridiculous and so backwards that the Indians … might actually do it?
Well, no. At least I really hope not. But they leave that little flicker of doubt, because well, we’re Indians fans.
But before we start panicking about trading a 26 year old two years removed from a sparkling season in 2007 at a time when his value is basically rock bottom due to the clunkers he’s thrown up for his last two seasons, in part due to injuries…
I can’t even type out the rest. It’s too stupid. The Indians, who are hurting for someone to step up in the starting rotation and eat up some innings, would actually trade a guy, who’s 26 and has done it as recently as two years ago, for nothing (no really, we’d get NOTHING for Carmona), just to sign a second baseman for a team going nowhere?
Sorry, not buying it. Carmona’s contract isn’t that bad, at the tune of $11 million over the next two years. That won’t kill you, especially if Carmona can regain his form. I mean, c’mon, think that 3.06 ERA over 215 innings wouldn’t look good at the top of the Tribe’s rotation? Especially when the most the Indians would get for Carmona would likely be for someone to take his contract?
Sorry, I just can’t buy it. Luis Valbuena didn’t suck that hard last year. Yeah, the .298 OBP wasn’t pretty (and I’m a stanch supporter of OBP, by the way) and he probably needs a platoon mate (all but 49 of his at bats were versus righties, for good reason) but c’mon, he won’t be 25 until after the season, he hit 10 home runs, and he played some pretty slick defense. Plus, and this should appeal to the Indians, he’s much cheaper than Hudson would be.
Sorry, I refuse to believe it. Orlando Hudson is good, clearly an upgrade over what the Indians have, but would it really matter on this team? Wouldn’t it be more prudent to save the money for the draft and try out the kids?
It’s not happening. This is what I keep repeating to myself, because otherwise I’m going to get upset. Trading Fausto to sign Hudson flies in the face of all the Indians have been saying to their remaining fans. That the team has a plan to get back to contending. Because a team with a plan would never trade a potential ace just to sign a 32 year old second baseman to a rebuilding project.
It’s just dumb. And I’m done getting worked up about it.