Tim Hudson signing: reactions and reviews

The Javier Lopez signing is official, so that's the the news of the day. Oh, and the Giants are "talking" to Dan Haren, possibly about Catching Fire. That's also news. But the Tim Hudson signing might be the news of the offseason. Seriously, think about it. It might literally be the most exciting news of the offseason. It would have been the most exciting news of last offseason, too. Don't get discouraged.

_{okay, that's kind of discouraging}

Don't fret! At least we get to savor the Hudson deal a little longer. And it's time for Tim Hudson reactions. First, we have something from Baseball Prospectus:

In fact, it's hard to find a deal-damning negative. Hudson is older, but his game is built around finesse. He knows how to pitch—using a deep arsenal that includes a sinker, cutter, curve, and splitter—and generates groundballs by the bushel.

Wish I had coined "deal-damning negative." Keith Law also likes the move:

(Hudson's) skill set is one that tends to age well -- plus control with good sink and the ability to get ground balls. The main worry with any pitcher getting into his late 30s or early 40s is that a loss of velocity will lead to harder contact, meaning higher home run rates and potentially higher BABIPs, as well. But Hudson's innate ability to keep the ball in the park will now be supplemented by 16 or so starts a year at spacious AT&T Park, plus a few at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium ...

Dave Cameron likes the deal, too, and that guy just hates the Giants and everything they stand for.

This is a case where ERA is essentially misleading, and it should be mostly discarded. Tim Hudson, in 2013, looked just like Tim Hudson in nearly any other recent season.

Is there anyone who hates this deal? Bay Area Stats Guy?

He did post his highest ERA+ since 2006 last season, which can be mostly attributed to rather poor luck stranding runners. His fielding independent pitching numbers were essentially as good as they always were. Also positive is that he saw an uptick in his strikeout rate from 13.6% to 17.8% which suggests that his "stuff" hasn’t left him.

That's positive, too. Lefty likes the deal and even Braves fans get what the Giants were trying to do.

Everyone likes this deal.

No one is making fun of Brian Sabean and making knee-jerk jokes about veteran players. It's terrifying. I remember one of the last deals that almost everyone liked: Mark DeRosa for two years. That didn't turn out well (except for the specific things that turned out really, really well.) Now Hudson's probably ruined by all this praise.

At least the Giants will re-sign Dontrelle Willis and get 180 fantastic innings out of him to make up for it. But if you're wondering what people are thinking about Tim Hudson and the Giants, it looks like everyone loves the deal.

Not going to lie: I really like thinking of Tim Hudson on the Giants, if only because I'm usually stuck in 2004. My CD collection was cool back then and I had hair, so I take frequent trips back. Looking forward to him sinking things.