Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson, who was putting together a very solid season before injuring his ACL on June 24, has signed a one-year extension with the club.
Over 25 appearances in 2022, Hudson tallied 24 1/3 innings of 2.22 ERA ball. His average fastball checked in north of 97 MPH, and his high-80s slider was an excellent putaway pitch. Hudson also induced ground-balls at a fantastic 53.4% clip and rarely walked opposing hitters.
The injury came amidst the tight and emotional series with the Atlanta Braves. In a close game, Hudson pounce off the mound to field a weakly hit ground ball and something just gave way, sending the veteran reliever collapsing to the ground in pain. Hudson underwent season-ending surgery, and the Dodgers had to scramble on the fly to rethink their bullpen plans.
It’s a credit to the Dodgers’ pitching depth that the team actually got better after the injury, with players like Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, and Yency Almonte taking on larger roles in the bullpen. And while it would be nice to see him on the field, it will be good to know he’s going to take another crack at it in 2023.
According to multiple media reports, the Dodgers will exercise their $6.5MM option on his services for next season, and the sides have agreed to tack on a 2024 team option with a $6.5MM base value that can max out at $7.3MM, based on his number of appearances next season,
It’s one of those low-risk, high-reward deals that Andrew Friedman is fond of making. For every Danny Duffy, who never pans out, there is a Blake Treinen, who signs a team friendly deal and ends up a major contributor.
It’s going to be a long road back. Hudson’s got a lot of mileage on the odometer: 13 seasons at the big-league level with nearly 800 innings pitched. However, the live arm that Hudson exhibited in his first few months back in a Dodger uniform suggest that there is at least a chance that Daniel Hudson can return to form next season.
So one potential free agent locked up for next year. But there are plenty more that might fly the coop at season’s end, a fact that makes 2022 definitely a “Win Now” kind of year.
