A Tony Orlando

Now that the Reds have saved Rizzo from himself by signing Orlando Cabrera, hearts are all a-flutter about the O-Dawg, everyone's favorite pimp-caller-outer. If you can't have one Orlando, why not have another.

There's only one thing I wonder about... why? He's really not that good anymore.

Here's what you get with Orlando: Good, not great on-base skills, and a decent batting average.

Here's what you don't get: power, speed, a player who's able to stay healthy.

I mean, he's not a terrible player. He's certainly better than O-Cab would've been, but to read/listen/hear, it's as if many have talked themselves into believing that Hudson's the difference between being .500 or not.

Here's what he's done in the last three years: .286/ .342/ .445

Oh, wait. I'm sorry. That's what Ronnie Belliard did the last three years. Here's what Hudson did: .293/ .366/ .435

So a little more on-base, a little less power. They're the same damn player with the bat.

But the bat isn't the reason they're talking about signing him; they want his glove. It's golden, I hear. But for all the talk about the awards Hudson's won, is he actually a good defender? Not according to most of the stats.

But before we get to that, think about this. Is having won a Gold Glove evidence that a player is a good fielder? We know first-hand that the best player doesn't always win the award. And if you've ever read anything on it, you know the voting process is all sorts of screwed up. So that he has a Gold Glove shouldn't tell you much.

Your fancy-schmancy UZR stats say he's basically average, maybe a tick below.

So you think the stats are screwy. Think of it logically. How many second basemen can you think of that were still elite defenders into their 30s? They all lose a step eventually. To assume that he's still one of the best defensive 2B in the game at this point requires a bit of a logical leap.

All-in-all, he's a perfectly average acceptable player, but not a panacea.

If he signs, great. If not, eh.

It's not like Rizzo's going to trap Guzman in a burlap sack and sink him in the Anacostia; that's the real problem.