The Rays have released right-hander Daniel Hudson, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Hudson had been acquired in the trade that sent Corey Dickerson to the Pirates earlier in the winter.
With the decision, the Rays will remain on the hook for Hudson’s $5.5MM salary — less the $1MM that the Pirates sent with him. That means the Tampa Bay organization could have saved a fair bit more by simply cutting Dickerson loose — though they also added young infielder Tristan Gray in that exchange.
Hudson, 31, may have started out in the Rays’ plans but turned in a wild spring. He coughed up nine earned runs on eight hits and five walks over his 5 1/3 Grapefruit League innings.
That showing came on the heels of a middling 2017 season in which Hudson contributed 61 2/3 innings of 4.38 ERA ball while compiling 9.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Hudson still worked in the 95 to 96 mph range and carried a 12.1% swinging-strike rate, but obviously the Pirates were hoping for better results when they gave him a two-year guarantee.
Probably making space for a John lackey-type signing
No way lackey goes to Tampa. Doubt he’s interested in a low guarantee deal on a non playoff team.
Who understands the rays…
He will probably get picked up by San Fran now and win a world series.
Maybe if San Fran picks him up to flip him to the Dodgers he’ll win a world series.Not in orange and black though that ship sailed in 2014 and sunk in 2016
Well……it is an even number year……
giants fans were saying that while they were eliminated by the cubs in 2016 if I remember
Until Bochy leaves, don’t count out those even years. This is the man that got the Padres to APPEAR (for the 2nd time) in a World Series. That year was also an even year.
Ha yeah right that even number year crap is over with.Half the guys on that team are old enough to be my great great grandfather.
It’s astronomically low chances, but I’m not putting up a fat zero.
Like he said , that ship is LOOONG gone!
Bruce Bochy will be a HOF manager,but even they need the players to win.With Melancon’s arm still feeling funny,I doubt they can compete with the Dodgers,Dbacks,and Rockies even if they had a good bullpen.The Giants had a very impressive run for five years,after a 56 year wait.Then they got old pretty quickly and have not taken any steps to get younger.They have improved their team from last year but the western division is easily the strongest in the NL now.It should be an interesting year but there is too much competition through the whole division for them to have a good chance at making the playoffs.
I think they were trying to cut 2019 payroll so they’d have more to spend next year but they’re paying a lot of players not to play for them this year. It surely hasn’t helped their lineup so far.
Um, no. The Rays dont spend. No offense, but keep up.
obviously clearing space for a 9 figure greg holland deal
LOL. Nice.
Lolololol!
I think it’s time we stop rushing to the defense of any Rays’ move assuming it’s small market genius, and accept the fact that in recent years, the front office hasn’t been exceptional.
That’s cuz the GM Freidman went to the Dodgers .
Embarrassing organization
I guess thank you to TB for sending us Dickerson for a guy we nor you wanted.
Huntington looks like a genius in that deal 🙂
Compared to the Rays FO, anyone looks like a genius!
And that has rarely happened recently. The Rays probably figured since he was healthy…why not? He was hit around routinely last year.
I think that NH realized that that was his very lucky day and moved on without gloating.
Truly bizarre series of events.
So they purchased Gray for 4.5 million dollars. Dumb.
Poor Hudson. Two TJ surgeries for him and he never returned to his pre surgery form
Man, the Rays lost on Corey Dickerson on both ends. Gave up two really good pitchers (Jake McGee and especially German Marquez) to get him, then gave him away and $4.5m for a non-prospect infielder a couple years later. Yikes.
Dickerson put up decent numbers with the Rays too, albeit in partial season both times. The Rays FO continues to baffle me as a fan.
I think that this guy was Neil Huntington’s worst signing.He seemed to have bid against himself and paid what last year was not only top dollar for a mediocre middle reliever but also for a two-year contract.The first thing that Hudson would do last year was walk the first batter in the inning.
I was amazed that the Rays would then take him in payment for their all star player last year even with the $1M payment in the trade.
Given all that however it surprises me that they would release him and eat the entire contract because no one will claim him off waivers with that salary.
Worst move all year! Of any team!
Dunno why this doesn’t have but eovaldi now needs surgery.
With eovaldi’s injury I’m mildly surprised they didn’t just keep Hudson. Andriese slides into the rotation so they need another bullpen arm. Hudson was atrocious this spring but maybe he would’ve provided something for you. Either way you’re out the cash.
Genius. Shed a good hitter’s salary for a reliever who costs even more…then cut the pitcher! And for good measure, sign a Reyfsnyder and give him a spot on the roster.
You cannot make this stuff up, folks. Almost like they are trying to lose games and money.
Seems they could of taken the chance on him in the bullpen at a minimum if paying him anyway.
Good lord, this trade couldn’t have been any worse.
Hudson was hard to watch in Pittsburgh though. Had a strikeout arm but always made things too worrisome.
The Pirates acquired an All Star outfielder and that was an afterthought and secondary consideration to getting rid of Hudson and his contract.
I guess the Rays were hoping to fix him, but…yeah. Their strategy here is a bit unclear, to be kind.
It’s pretty funny they “tried” to fix him. How about give him longer than ST? They just had eovaldi go down so you’d imagine there could be a spot for him. The worst thing that happens is that he gets lit up again and you do this in 2 weeks. I don’t get it.