Tim Hudson
Rumors

Confirming weeks of speculation, Tim Hudson has agreed to a 3-year contract with a club option for 2013, though the terms of the agreement were not announced, espn.com is reporting.

Rumors have been that Hudson's deal would be approximately $27M over the three years of the deal, or an average of $9M per year. 

Hudson only made seven starts during the 2009 season after coming back from elbow surgery.  The 148 game winner went 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in those starts.

Tim Hudson returns to Atlanta for three more years

Pitcher Tim Hudson is close to signing a three-year contract extension with the Braves.  The contract would prevent the veteran right hander from getting to free agency which starts 15 days after the conclusion of the World Series. 

The deal is reportedly worth $27M over three years, or an average of $9M per season.  Hudson's previous deal was $47M from 2006 to 2009 with a $12M club option and a $1M buyout for 2010.  The contract extension would nullify the option. 

Braves Pitcher Tim Hudson

Hudson only made seven starts during the 2009 season after coming back from elbow surgery.  The 148 game winner went 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in those starts.

Other big name free agent starting pitchers left on the market include Aroldis Chapman and John Lackey.

Jason Churchill of espn.com compared the 1996 Draft against the 1997 Draft. Unlike last week when he compared the 1994 and 1995 drafts and determined 1995 to be better, Jason doesn't give us his opinion on these two drafts. That means it is up to us. Tell us what do you think.

1996 Draft

No 1 Pick: Kris Benson hasn't been what any team would want out of a #1 draft pick and certainly did not produce for the Pirates. In 2000, Benson had a 3.85 ERA with 184Ks in 217.1 IP but missed all of 2001 with Tommy John surgery.

Best Pick, 1st Round: Gil Meche, #22 Seattle Mariners

Value Pick, Any Round: Roy Oswalt, 23rd round, #684 overall, Houston Astros; Travis Hafner, 31st round, #923 overall, Texas Rangers; Orlando Hudson, 33rd round, #969 overall, Toronto Blue Jays.

Notable Pick: Jimmy Rollins, 2nd round, #46 overall, Philadelphia Phillies

Worst Pick, First Round: Chad Green, #8 Milwaukee Brewers - "In eight minor league seasons, Green hit .252/.310/.389 with 166 stolen bases."

1997 Draft

No 1 Pick: Matt Anderson reached 100 on the radar a number of times over seven major league seasons for the Tigers, but ultimately his production and career was cut short by injuries.

Best Pick, 1st Round: Lance Berkman, #16 Houston Astros

Value Pick, Any Round: Tim Hudson, 6th round, #185 overall, Oakland Athletics; JC Romero, 22nd round, #633 overall, Minnesota Twins; Scot Shields, 38th round, #1,137 overall, Anaheim Angels.

Notable Pick: Chase Utley, 2nd round, Los Angeles Dodgers. Utley went to college instead of signing with the Dodgers and was drafted by the Phillies in 2000 and teamed with Rollins to form the core of the Phillies 2008 championship run.

Worst Pick, First Round: Matt Anderson, #1 Detroit Tigers: When JD Drew, Troy Glaus and Vernon Wells are available, this is a bad pick.

Jason Churchill of espn.com compared the 1994 Draft against the 1995 Draft.  While neither draft we deep and the success rate of 1st round picks was below 25% for both years (some of the lowest percentages in the 41-year history of the draft), the 1995 draft gets the nod.  But, what do you think?

1994 Draft

No 1 Pick: Paul Wilson was the #1 pick for the Mets and was supposed to be part of a dynamic trio that included Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen.  He finished his career 40-58 with a 4.86 ERA that was beseiged by shoulder injuires.

Best Pick, 1st Round: Nomar Garciaparra, #12, Boston Red Sox

Value Pick, Any Round: Javier Vazquez, fifth round, #140 overall, Montreal Expos, Tim Hudson, 35th round, #961 overall, Oakland Athletics

Notable Pick: Jason Varitek, #14, Seattle Mariners, Paul Konerko, #13, Los Angeles Dodgers.

Worst Pick, First Round: Antone Williamson, #4, Milwaukee Brewers "Williamson spent seven seasons in the minors and just 24 games in the big leagues, hitting .204/.254/.259 in 54 at-bats."

Best Teams: Boston Red Sox - Along with Garciaparra, the Sox drafted Carl Pavano (13th round) and traded him with Tony Armas Jr. to the Expos for Pedro Martinez.

1995 Draft

No 1 Pick: Darin Erstad was selected first overall by the then California Angeles (now Los Angeles) and is still active today as a bench player for the Astros.  Erstad won a World Series with the Angels in 2002 and "has played 14 years in the big leagues and entered play this season with a career line of .283/.336/.407"

Best Pick, 1st Round: Roy Halladay, #17, Toronto Blue Jays

Value Pick, Any Round: Carlos Beltran, second round, #49 overall, Kansas City Royals

Notable Pick: Kerry Wood, #4, Chicago Cubs

Worst Pick, First Round: Jaime Jones, #6, Florida Marlins "The left-handed hitting Jones never reached the majors, hitting .265/.341/.404 in 10 season as a minor leaguer. Jones retired after the 2005 season."

Best Team Draft: California Angels - After Erstad the halos grabbed Jarrod Washburn and Rob Quinlan and all three helped the Angels win the 2002 title.