Welcome Adam Kennedy to town. In a year we can look at his numbers and Hudson’s numbers and see who wins out. Ultimately I think the Nats will. Curious to see the $ amount of this deal.

Contrary to what The Mamba might say (God knows it will include the phrase “Pay to Play”), I think that is a lineup that does not lose 100 games or more.

Let the pitchers and catchers report, lets get it on.

all this does is block a promising young player from getting major league experience when the team can afford do it. and the MI defense may end up being worse than last season. so very disappointing.

When stuff like this happens, its painfully obvious that we are not trying to win next season. They are putting all their work into the future. It’s still wrong that when someone WANTS to play for a two year 100 loss team and the team doesn’t sign him.

That’s all but a sure thing, with or without Kennedy. When looking at that batting order though, it really looks like a solid lineup on paper. I don’t like Guzman in the 2-hole, but he performs his best there and that means trade bait come July. Let’s hope these guys can stay healthy and get the team 70+ wins, and if the pitching pans out, dare I say 81 wins?

This a signing to bridge the gap tp desmond but i am mighty afraid of dunn in the infield,. very mighty afraid

kinda like the DEADskins with Vinnie and no real GM…I WANT them to LOSE and lose ugly…….other then drafting /signing Strasburg…and the still mysterious Dunn signing to stay in the NL (sure he doesn’t have permanent football damage?)……With Marquis’s 15 out of the equation, ALL the rest of the starting pitcher contenders AMASSED a whopping 22 wins in the majors last season…….and if you don’t think keystone fielders can DOOM those not ready for prime time starters……re watch all those 103 butt ugly losses last year…….and those MLB leading 143 ERRORS…..

I’m still heart-broken that the Nats didn’t land Orlando Hudson because I think he would have been a really good addition to the team in stats and to the esprit de corps.

I hope, HOPE, hope Kennedy can be a defensive upgrade and that last year’s E’s were an anomaly for him.
And I feel pretty sure Desmond will get a chance for plenty of playing time this season. When has Guzman EVER stayed healthy for an entire season?

He’ll be adequate…it’s just a shame he doesn’t walk more.

I am once again this offseason upset we didn’t get the O-dog, I would have loved the spark he could provide on and off the field. That said, we needed a MI as insurance against guzman injury and desmond not being up to snuff. I think desmond will get plenty of chances this year. Would probably rather see him start at short over guzman, but there is a hole in the 2 spot in the batting order.

Is garland still available? Starting pitching is still a target, correct?

If it works out we’ll have to come up with a cool nickname.

I’m liking the 1.25 mil they gave Kennedy.

While I was looking forward to (as many of you were) seeing Hudson in a Nats’ uniform, dollar for dollar they’re considerably better off with Kennedy for $1.25 than the O-Dawg for $5. Defensively, Hudson’s superior with the glove, but the difference between the two isn’t as glaring as you’d think. Kennedy has been a slightly above average defensive 2b throughout his career (+8.2 career UZR/150), while Hudson tends to get a little overrated defensively (flashy, but a +2.6 career UZR/150). I’d still say that Hudson is the superior defender, though both showed significant dropoffs (likely owing a bit to the fact that they’re getting past their prime years).

With the bat, there isn’t a huge difference, though the slight edge has to go to Hudson.

Hudson: .282/.348/.431 lifetime… .283/.357/.417
Kennedy: .277/.330/.391 lifetime… .289/.348/.410

Both are coming off of strong seasons with the bat and poor seasons with the glove. Perhaps most importantly, though, Kennedy comes at a quarter of the cost of Hudson, with a relatively modest $2 million club option for next season.

Why is it so important? While there’s little doubt in my mind that Kennedy will be the primary starter at second base, it’s a lot easier to explain sitting a $1.25 million player (to both management and fans) on a regular basis than it is to explain sitting a $5 million player like Hudson. I don’t believe this will set back Desmond’s development much, if at all. I’d feel pretty confident in guessing that he’ll start the year in the majors and get three starts a week in the early-going (assuming he doesn’t show signs of regression). Kennedy will be a cost-effective insurance policy, though he’ll still get the bulk of the starts at second. If I had to guess, going with a full weekly (seven game) schedule, I’d guess the following:

Kennedy gets 5 starts (2b)
Guzman gets 5-6 starts (2 at 2b, 3-4 at SS)
Desmond gets 3-4 starts (SS)

It would ease the transition, and quite frankly, I’d rather have Adam Kennedy (again, pretty cheap) helping set up a three-way platoon in the middle infield than burn the spot with a “super-utility guy” (aka, mid-level PH type, usually) like a Pete Orr/Alberto Gonzalez. It’ll be interesting to see what they do, but I think missing out on Hudson means we see more of Desmond.

The mind-boggling waste of a move on the day was signing Shawn Estes, but I guess there’s pretty much no risk since it’s a minor-league deal.

After years of living near DC and sadly seeing this team squander, it really makes me happy to see that they will finally compete this year. Their lineup is solid, and their pitching rotation is decent; much better than last year.

When AK was on steroids and helped get us the world series, he was great.

Should be a solid piece to your organization.