Price Might Be Right in Deal for A’s Hudson

The Hudson river of rumors flowing through the winter meetings could end as soon as today with the Dodgers bolstering their starting rotation with the addition of one of baseball’s best pitchers.

Two industry sources said late Saturday that Oakland Athletic right-hander Tim Hudson, expendable because he has one year left on his contract, is expected to go to the Dodgers in exchange for prospects including touted rookie infielder Antonio Perez and, perhaps, pitcher Edwin Jackson.

Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta became more aggressive in negotiations with his Athletic counterpart and close friend Billy Beane because several other teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, made significant overtures. The St. Louis Cardinals dropped out of the picture Saturday.

The trade is not expected to include a third team. DePodesta said his talks with Beane regarding Hudson have been “creative,” but that there has been no discussion of a three-way deal.

Hudson will be paid $6 million next season, the last in four-year deal. That’s a bargain for a pitcher with a record of 92-39 in six seasons.

Beane would not allow Hudson to negotiate a contact extension with teams trying to trade for him, saying it would become “a circus.” Hudson wants an extension before the season starts and probably can command a four-year, $40 million deal.

Manager Jim Tracy was excited about the possible deal, saying, “It’s adding an impact guy to the front of your rotation.”

The burst of activity over Hudson came at the end of a relatively slow day. DePodesta met with agents for third baseman Corey Koskie and pitchers Matt Clement and Odalis Perez.

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The Dodgers are beginning to contemplate life without third baseman Adrian Beltre. It’s an unpleasant prospect, given that Beltre, 25, is a popular homegrown Dodger coming off a blockbuster season. But his asking price is believed to be seven years for about $90 million -- enough to make DePodesta blanch.

“Recent history has shown that teams with one player carrying a disproportionate amount of payroll don’t do well,” he said. “It’s clear to me that there is no discount for Adrian Beltre to stay in Los Angeles.”

It’s uncertain whether any team will meet the demand. The Seattle Mariners want Beltre, but are as averse to a seven-year deal as the Dodgers. The Detroit Tigers want him, but Beltre might not want to leave the West Coast.

“I still believe deep down that Adrian would rather be with us than with anyone else,” DePodesta said.

The Dodgers have yet to make Beltre an offer, waiting to see whether a slow market will prompt his agent, Scott Boras, to scale back his demands. DePodesta knows that if he waits too long, though, alternatives such as Koskie and Tony Batista could be gone.

“We haven’t been faced with that quite yet, but we won’t be left holding the bag,” he said. “We have more than one option. We might have a difficult decision on our hands.”

Koskie, 31, is close to accepting a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, which would eliminate what DePodesta termed “the next best option” to Beltre.

Re-signing Beltre, who finished second in NL MVP voting, is the clear choice of those who have been part of the Dodger organization for longer than DePodesta, who is going through his first off-season as general manager.

“I’d like to have him back and reap the benefits of what he’s become,” Tracy said. “This guy has figured out who he is, what he’s about and what he’s capable of. He’s become something very special, on and off the field.”

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Dodger pitching coach Jim Colborn is considering an offer from a Japanese team because contract talks with the Dodgers have dragged for weeks. Hitting coach Tim Wallach is also unsigned. . . . The Dodgers put in a conditional waiver claim on Pirate left-handed reliever Frank Brooks, who has one week to accept or reject the claim. Brooks, 26, struck out 18 in 17 1/3 innings last season.