Playing Cards with Orlando Hudson

Hey Orlando.  Good to see you.  Glad you could make it to poker night.  What's that?  You've got your own deck?  Complete with race cards I see....

I'm sure we've all seen the Orlando Hudson story by now.  According to Hudson, Jermaine Dye remains a free agent more than one week into the 2010 season because he's black.  That's some claim.  And I'm not going to completely rip Hudson for coming out and saying it...his perception is driving his comments.  Perception equals opinion, and opinion can't be wrong, can it?  People get paid all over this great nation to share their opinions on sports, politics, finance, etc.  Doesn't mean it's fact...but some opinions do carry weight - and any time there is even a hint of racism (perceived or otherwise) I suppose there is call for alarm.

Now if it seems I'm taking this lightly, I apologize.  I am not a racist, nor do I condone racism in any way.  And this topic is such a slippery slope, I really don't like commenting on it...but in this case, I feel like I should.  Let's get started.

Using the Jermaine Dye situation (if it can really be called a "situation") as his example, he calls baseball out for not signing African-American ballplayers.  Last season, with the White Sox, Dye made $11 million dollars.  His production dropped.  He got a year older (as people tend to do).  So...how much is a 36 year old outfielder - one who hit .250 (a 42 point drop from 2008) with well below average range in the OF worth?  Last season, in addition to the negative factors I just mentioned, Dye's SLG dropped nearly 100 points.  His home run total, RBI total, and number of runs scored all decreased (granted, RBI and runs are kind of arbitrary stats, dependent on other batters as well, but they're still numbers players/agents use as negotiating tools).  He hit 41 doubles in 2008.  In 2009?  19.  So far, of all the factors I've mentioned, the only increase has been in age (which is generally a negative).

On the positive side, he did draw 20 more walks in 71 less plate appearances.  He's a good guy.  He's a veteran presence...a leader in the clubhouse.  He still managed to hit 27 homers, so he's got some pop left in his bat.  He'd probably be a great DH, or a guy who could play RF once or twice a week in a pinch.  But his skill set is declining.  It happens.  And when that happens?  You guessed it...decrease in value.

Let's be clear about one thing.  It's not that teams aren't offering Dye any money at all.  The offers have come in - but for less money.  In fact, in a quote from Rotowire found on his player page at Fangraphs.com (where I'm looking up all these stats I'm throwing at you), Dye says:

"There have been offers, just nothing worth it."

He has allegedly turned down offers from the Angels, Cubs, and Blue Jays.  He has drawn interest from other teams as well...but nothing has materialized.  The Nationals are interested, but how much will they offer?  Enough to get Dye to sign on the dotted line?  Point is...teams are offering him jobs.

What it seems to boil down to for me - and again, I'm not criticizing anyone for any comments or perceptions of racism - is there isn't much of a market for a 36 year old outfielder with declining skills at the plate and in the field.  White, African-American, Latin-American, or otherwise.  Dye's contract expired and the White Sox let him walk.  He's refused to sign for his market value.  He has every right to decline offers and hold out for the best deal possible, but the market will dictate what offers come his way, not the color of his skin.  Markets shift all the time...and right now, teams seem like they're trying to get younger more often than not by building through the draft and promoting home grown talent. 

And to be fair, there are white players who have taken pay cuts, or are without contracts, too.  Jim Edmonds currently plays for $850,000.  Jarrod Washburn is out of work.  Jim Thome signed for $1.5 million. 

It seems to me that if Dye is a victim of anything, it's less racism and more drop in productionism.