As first reported yesterday by ESPN's Buster Olney, the Tim Hudson to Baltimore for young pitching rumors have apparently been confirmed by The Baltimore Sun:
The source said the Orioles bristled at dealing left-handed starter Adam Loewen but discussed a package of prospects that included right-hander Hayden Penn.
So the "chatter" that Olney was hearing yesterday seems to be a bit more substantial than originally thought. We must keep in mind through all this that Orioles owner Peter Angelos is always a major factor in any trade or free agent signing, and who knows if he will give his blessing or not. The Sun puts it bluntly:
Hudson, an ace while in Oakland, made 35 starts for the Braves in 2006 and compiled a career-worst 4.86 ERA.
Well, I don't know what health concerns they could be talking about. Hudson made every one of his starts last year and was probably the healthiest pitcher on the Braves staff.
Parting ways with Hudson and his back-loaded contract - $13 million in '08 and '09 - could free up significant amounts of money to sign Andruw Jones. Then signing Tom Glavine for the next year or two could serve as a stop-gap until the likes of Matt Harrison and Jo-Jo Reyes are ready.