Atlanta gets Hudson from Oakland A’s

The Atlanta Braves made another huge pitch for success, getting Tim Hudson from Oakland.

In a brisk day for deals, the Braves made the biggest completed trade of the off-season Thursday.

With Los Angeles, Boston and the New York Yankees rumored to be pursuing Hudson, the Braves swooped in and got the Athletics ace for outfielder Charles Thomas and pitchers Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer.

The Braves have won 13 straight division titles. Last Saturday, they got All-Star closer Dan Kolb from Milwaukee — a move that allowed them to move John Smoltz back into the rotation.

“This winter, we have set our sights on going back to sort of the old-fashioned Braves’ way of building championship teams with dominant pitching,” Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz said. “That’s what we think we have done, and we are excited about the pitching staff we have put together for the season.”

Also, Kansas City traded catcher Benito Santiago to Pittsburgh for right-handed prospect Leo Nunez. The Royals also must pay about $1 million of Santiago’s $2.15 million salary.

In another deal, Atlanta sent outfielder Eli Marrero to Kansas City for right-hander Jorge Vasquez. The Braves began the day by reaching agreement with Smoltz on $20 million, two-year contract.

With the A’s facing yet another payroll crunch, general manager Billy Beane finally broke up his “Big Three” starting pitchers of Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito.

The trade was finalized around midday, a day after Beane was talking to three teams about the 29-year-old Hudson.

The Georgia-born Hudson posted 81 wins from 2000-04, tied for the most in the American League over that span.

Hudson was 12-6 with a 3.53 ERA in 27 starts this season. He made the All-Star team for the second time, but did not pitch because of a strained left side that put him on the disabled list for a month.

Earlier this month, Hudson set a March 1 deadline for the A’s to offer him a contract extension, or he planned to leave as a free agent following the 2005 season.

“We certainly traded a major part of our franchise in Tim, but we’ve also upgraded,” Beane said.

Santiago, a five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, hit .274 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 49 games in 2004, but didn’t play after fracturing his left hand June 18.

Nunez was 10-4 with a 3.06 ERA and three complete games for Class A Hickory in 2004.

Thomas made his major league debut last season and batted .288 with seven homers and 31 RBIs. Cruz was 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 50 relief outings. Meyer was 0-0 in two games with Braves after going 9-6 with a 2.49 ERA at Double-A Greenville and Triple-A Richmond.

Vasquez, 26, also made his major league debut last season, pitching in two games for Kansas City. He spent most of the year at Triple-A Wichita, going 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA and 18 saves.

Marrero hit .320 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in a part-time role with Atlanta. The Braves got him with J.D. Drew last off-season in a trade that sent Jason Marquis to St. Louis.

Also, highly touted Cuban prospect Kendry Morales is officially a member of the Anaheim Angels.

The Angels announced two weeks ago they had agreed to terms of a six-year contract with Morales, conditional upon the 21-year-old switch hitter receiving clearance from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. That came Thursday, when Morales received a license from the OFAC, clearing him to work in the United States. He defected from Cuba in June, and now lives in the Dominican Republic.

Morales plays first base, third base and the outfield. He was the first baseman and cleanup hitter for Cuba at the 2003 World Cup in Havana, and his grand slam helped the Cubans beat Taiwan 6-3 in the finals.

The Angels were able to sign Morales because a Cuban player who acquires residency in a third country is eligible for free agent status.

Morales became a sensation in Cuban baseball two years ago while playing for a team called the Industrialists, hitting .324 with 21 home runs and 82 RBIs.