Orlando Hudson

The O-Dog is still under contract with the Padres, but with talk that the team is looking to dump him before the start of the season, he could be with a different organization by the time spring training starts. The well-traveled, 10-year veteran continued to slow last season and posted a career-low .246/.329/.352 slash line with just seven home runs. He did swipe a career-high 19 bags and posted a 10.8 percent walk rate, but he also saw his strikeout rate climb to a career-high 18.5 percent, and the likelihood of him improving is extremely low. Obviously, it depends on where he begins the season, but he is looking much more like a reserve player these days.

Hudson had his worst season at the plate last year by hitting just .268/.338/.372. He still drew walks at a good clip, but his power declined sharply while playing in spacious Target Field. He had two stints on the DL with wrist and oblique injuries, so health may have been a factor. While he had an off season at the plate, he remained a premium defender with baseball's third-best UZR at second base. He signed a two-year deal with San Diego in the offseason and will take over everyday duty at second base. He's a candidate to rebound at the plate given that he didn't see a big drop-off in his skill set, but any gains may be offset by his move to baseball's best pitcher's park.

Hudson batted .283/.357/.417 while accumulating his highest at-bats total (551) since 2006. He also won yet another Gold Glove, but realistically, Hudson's season is going to be looked upon as a failure considering his late-season benching in favor of Ronnie Belliard. Hudson batted just .227 after August 31 while Belliard hit .356 during that span. Minnesota signed him to a one-year deal and he'll start at second base, hit second in the order and provide a large upgrade over the worst hitting second base corps in the AL.

Before breaking a bone in his left wrist in August, Hudson hit .305 with eight homers and 41 RBI in what was likely his third and final season with Arizona. As the only elite second baseman on the market, Hudson's combination of Gold Glove defense and offensive upside -- as a switch-hitter, no less -- will fetch a hefty sum from a club looking to bolster its infield defense. As long as he doesn't end up in a cavernous home park, Hudson should once again produce as a steady option for roto players planning on a safe investment in double-digit homers and steals.

Hudson missed most of September and all of the D-Backs' postseason run with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Prior to going down with the injury, he was turning in a strong season - including a career-best .376 OBP - with the usual Gold Glove defense at second base. He's simply a good all-around player and should continue to put up similar double-digit home-run totals so long as he stays in a hitters' park like Chase Field. Hudson is expected to be 100 percent healthy and ready to go for spring training.

A lot of his value is wrapped up in his Gold Glove, but unless you play Strat or Scoresheet, you won't be able to capture that. Last year's line is basically the top of his range, kind of Ray Durham without the speed. Don't overproject based on his improvement last year.

Chronic hamstring problems are going to keep Hudson's stolen base totals in check, and various other injuries always seem to crop up to force him out for 20 games every year. When he did play, Hudson gave back some advances in his walk rate, and his power dipped as a result. However, his gold glove work could help boost Arizona pitching after coming over in a trade from Toronto.

Hudson improved greatly against left-handed pitching (.793 OPS in 2004 versus .412 in 2003) which helped boost his overall numbers last season. A hamstring injury sidelined him for a few weeks, but there's some upside here as he enters his prime.

Hudson should probably just give up trying to hit right-handed, or at least let Kate Hudson try it instead. He did nothing outside of May and June, hitting four home runs and driving in 25 runs over the other four months. Carlos Tosca is not hesitant to use his bench players when his starters struggle (see Chris Woodward in 2003), so there are all sorts of caveats to apply here. Be careful.

Playing the final two months for Toronto, Hudson did most of his damage at the plate early on. Had just one home run after August 17 and hit just .226 in September. Barring a trade, Toronto is going to use spring training to see if Hudson or Felipe Lopez will emerge as the second baseman. Lopez has the higher upside, but also likely the greater trade value. Don't expect both to be around on April 5 if Toronto can get fair value for one of them.