Did Mets Miss Opportunity Knocking?

Joel Sherman of the NY Post, believes the Mets may have blundered when they decided against adding Orlando Hudson, especially after his price went down to one year, $4 million dollars.

Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle on Monday against the Giants. It is interesting that the two players Met fans pined for most this offseason – Hudson and Manny Ramirez – both have ended up with the Dodgers. Imagine, say, the Dodgers beating out the Mets for the wild card, in part, because of Ramirez and Hudson. You think there is fan angst now.

Maybe it was always too much of a pipedream to believe that the post-Madoff Mets were going to reach deep for the $20 million-plus necessary to lasso Ramirez. But once Hudson’s demands fell to the one-year range with a base at less than $4 million, the Mets knew they had some edge in that Hudson wanted to play in New York, in part, because he is such close pals with Carlos Delgado. The Mets obviously did not want to invest in another second baseman when they still had Luis Castillo signed for $18 million over three years.

But Hudson fit so many needs for the Mets, and not just as an excellent player on both sides of the ball. He is a positive person and clubhouse force. Dodger insiders already rave about how much Hudson loves the game and uplifts the group with his upbeat temperament. With so much negativity still swirling around the Mets – as those quick Monday night boos emphasized – Hudson could have helped.