Giants starter Tim Hudson tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he is “definitely leaning” towards retiring at the end of the season. The 39-year-old righty is playing out the second half of the two-year, $23MM deal he signed with San Francisco before the 2014 campaign.
Though family considerations appear to be drawing him toward hanging up his spikes, Hudson indicated that he is not quite ready to decide at this point. “I feel pretty good,” said Hudson. “I feel as good as most 40-year-olds can feel trying to play a young man’s game.”
Hudson threw 189 1/3 innings of 3.57 ERA ball for the Giants last year, making his fourth All-Star team and eventually winning the World Series for the first time in his career. In the sixteen big league seasons already under his belt, Hudson has a sub-3.50 ERA and has only finished two years having permitted more than four earned per nine.
The bottom line, then, is that Hudson sure looks like he would be able to continue being productive on the mound for some time after the year. But, as the piece explores, it’s never that simple. The piece includes interesting quotes from Hudson’s wife, Kim, about the process of contemplating retirement.
My guess is he’ll spend some of his time being an assistant coach at Auburn University.
Angels better not forget to bring him a surfboard this weekend!
He’s been saying this all off-season too, so this is nothing new. If the Giants can pull out a fourth championship this season, don’t see how he don’t retire, but if they don’t, he might want one more year, particularly if healthy and productive in 2015, to retire a champion (plus another $10M in bank won’t hurt either, not going to make that kind of money anywhere else).
He’s already won one so he’s done something a lot of other players haven’t. I think he’s already accomplished everything he wanted to do and is ready to ease up after this season regardless of whether the Giants win another championship or not.
Please come back to the Braves we need you!
I hope he decides to keep going. Give himself a better shot at the hall.