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Cardinals Decline Team Options For Gibson, Lynn, Middleton

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12:45 pm: The Cardinals have formally announced their decision to decline all three club options.

12:22 pm: The Cardinals will not pick up their 2025 team options for right-handed pitchers Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, or Keynan Middleton, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The club could have retained Gibson and Lynn for $12MM each, while Middleton’s option was valued at $6MM. Instead, the Cardinals will pay all three pitchers a $1MM buyout and send them back onto the free agent market. They will be eligible to sign with any of the other 29 teams as of Monday.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Katie Woo wrote that the team was “not expected” to keep Lynn or Middleton, but the news about Gibson comes as a bit more of a surprise. The durable veteran came exactly as advertised in 2024, giving the Cardinals 30 starts and 169 2/3 innings with a 4.24 ERA and 4.44 SIERA. However, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told Goold that he is prioritizing “maximum flexibility” this offseason, hence his decision to clear as much money from the books as possible.

Gibson has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game throughout his career. Dating back to his first full season in 2014, he has made 314 starts. No other pitcher has made as many 300 starts in that time. He has never pitched like an ace, but there is good value in a starter who can consistently pitch a full season’s worth of innings with an ERA close to league average. That’s why Gibson earned a $10MM deal from the Orioles two offseasons ago and a $13MM guarantee from the Cardinals last winter. That’s also why he would have been well worth a net value of $11MM in 2025. It seems as if the Cardinals understand as much but simply prefer to use that money elsewhere. Woo noted they might have picked up Gibson’s option if they felt confident they could offload Miles Mikolas or Steven Matz in a trade. Her report suggests the front office liked Gibson at that $11MM value but ultimately decided they had too much money tied up in other veteran starting pitchers.

Goold mentions that Gibson has “expressed an interest” in returning to St. Louis next season, and for what it’s worth, Mozeliak suggested the team could still consider reunions with all three pitchers. Presumably, however, the Cardinals will wait and see if they can trade any of their other veteran starters before possibly picking up negotiations with Gibson.

Lynn pitched well over the first four months of the 2024 season, bouncing back from a difficult 2023 campaign to produce a respectable 4.06 ERA and 4.47 SIERA across his first 21 starts. Unfortunately, right knee inflammation limited him to just two starts over the final two months of the year. They were both good outings, lowering his full-season ERA to 3.84, but considering Lynn’s age (he’ll turn 38 next year) and his recent history of right knee problems (he missed more than two months after knee surgery in 2022), it’s not hard to see why the Cardinals were wary of bringing him back on an eight-figure salary in 2025.

The 2024 season was a lost year for Middleton, who could not return to the mound after suffering a forearm strain in spring training. He ultimately underwent flexor tendon surgery in June, formally ending his season. With that in mind, the Cardinals’ decision not to pick up his option is the least surprising of the three. It’s possible he’ll be back to full health by next spring, but his value is certainly lower than it was at this time last year. Wherever he signs this offseason, it’s likely to be for significantly less than $6MM.

In addition to Gibson, Lynn, and Middleton, three more Cardinals veterans will be free agents this winter: Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, and Andrew Kittredge. Even with a handful of players eligible to earn raises in arbitration and Sonny Gray’s forthcoming $15MM salary bump (the deal he signed last winter was heavily backloaded), RosterResource estimates the Cardinals 2025 payroll to be $147MM, well below their estimated $183MM payroll this past season. If they had chosen to pick up the options on Gibson, Lynn, and Middleton, that would have increased next year’s payroll projection to $174MM.

Randal Grichuk Declines Mutual Option With Diamondbacks

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Outfielder Randal Grichuk has turned down his end of a $6MM mutual option with the Diamondbacks, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. As Ethan Hullihen noted on X, Grichuk will receive a $1.75MM buyout. It’s unclear if the Diamondbacks exercised their half of the option, although it’s now a moot point.

It’s hardly a surprise that Grichuk is electing free agency after the strong 2024 season he put together. The veteran shone as a right-handed platoon bat, producing his best offensive numbers since his rookie campaign in 2015. Over 279 plate appearances, he hit 20 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs, good for an .875 OPS and a 139 wRC+. And while he excelled against left-handed pitchers, whom he faced in two-thirds of his plate appearances, it helped that he held his own without the platoon advantage. He put up a .913 OPS and 151 wRC+ against lefties and an .801 OPS and 116 wRC+ against righties. It was the first time since 2018 that he produced above-average numbers against same-handed pitchers.

Grichuk did all that on just a $1.5MM salary in 2024. He was also guaranteed a $500K buyout at the end of the season if either he or the Diamondbacks declined his mutual option. He was able to increase that buyout to $1.75MM by reaching 250 plate appearances in 2024, meaning he will need up earning $3.25MM on this deal. Needless to say, the D-backs got a tremendous bargain, and it will most likely take a good deal more money, and perhaps even multiple years, for a team to secure his services this winter. Grichuk could have his sights on something close to the two-year, $13MM deal Hunter Renfroe signed with the Royals last offseason.

To be clear, Grichuk is still a part-time player in his mid-thirties without a particularly strong track record of success. He’s not going to be one of the top free agent bats on the market. Still, there will always be a robust market for productive role players, and there are good reasons to believe Grichuk can maintain his newfound success. For one thing, he drastically improved his plate discipline in 2024, putting up the lowest strikeout rate and highest walk rate of his career. His 47.6% hard-hit rate was also a career-high. Those numbers should be able to convince plenty of teams that Grichuk can be a valuable contributor in 2025.

The Diamondbacks had one of the most productive lineups in the majors this past year, but they’ll surely be in the market for bats again this winter as they look to get back to the playoffs in 2025. In addition to Grichuk, they are going to lose first baseman Christian Walker to free agency. They could also be without Joc Pederson, who has a $14MM mutual option for 2025, and Eugenio Suárez, if they choose not to exercise his $15MM team option.

Mets Sign Dylan Covey To Major League Deal

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The Mets have given out their first major league contract of the offseason, signing right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey to a one-year deal. The team announced the news this afternoon.

The terms of the deal have not yet been announced, although it’s presumably not a very high guarantee. Indeed, it’s somewhat surprising to see Covey land a big league deal at all considering his limited track record and lack of MLB success. He made his debut with the White Sox in 2017 after they selected him from the A’s in the Rule 5 draft. Over three seasons in Chicago, largely as a starting pitcher, he produced a 6.54 ERA and 5.16 SIERA in 250 1/3 innings of work. It was hardly a surprise when the White Sox cut him over the 2019-20 offseason and he elected free agency.

Over the next few years, Covey bounced from the Rays to the Red Sox to the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. His performance over two seasons with the Rakuten Monkeys convinced the Dodgers to offer him a minor league deal before the 2023 season. Yet, after just one appearance for L.A., he was designated for assignment. The Phillies, in need of a mop-up man, claimed Covey off of waivers and put him in their bullpen. In his first chance at regular MLB playing time as a reliever, he was rather effective, albeit in a low-leverage role, pitching to a 3.69 ERA and 4.53 SIERA over 39 innings.

However, Covey did not pitch in the majors at all in 2024. He sat out the first four months of the season recovering from a right shoulder strain, and the Phillies removed him from the 40-man roster and sent him outright to Triple-A upon his return from the IL. Nonetheless, the Mets must have liked what they saw over his 15 appearances with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. After giving up a solo home run to the very first batter he faced at Triple-A in 2024, the right-hander did not allow another run for the rest of the season. He struck out 27.6% of the batters he faced. The Mets have several open spots on their 40-man roster, and they will use one of those spots to slot Covey into the bullpen picture for 2025.

Offseason Outlook: New York Yankees

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It's a quick turnaround for the Yankees after last night's gutting defeat. The front office will jump right into offseason work. The most immediate focus is on their ace's complicated opt-out decision. After that, they'll make a push to retain a likely Hall of Famer who'll set a new contract record in the next few months.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Aaron Judge, CF: $280MM through 2031
  • Gerrit Cole, RHP: $144MM through 2028 (Cole can opt out this winter; Yankees could void the opt-out by exercising $36MM club option for '29)
  • Carlos Rodón, LHP: $108MM through 2028
  • Giancarlo Stanton, DH: $96MM through 2027 (including buyout of '28 club option)*
  • DJ LeMahieu, 3B: $30MM through 2026
  • Marcus Stroman, RHP: $18MM through 2025 (deal contains $18MM vesting/player option for '26 if Stroman pitches 140+ innings next season)

* Marlins are covering $30MM of Stanton's contract between 2026-28, so Yankees are on the hook for $66MM

Option Decisions

  • RHP Gerrit Cole can opt out of final four years and $144MM; Yankees could void the opt-out by exercising $36MM club option for '29
  • Team holds $17MM option on 1B Anthony Rizzo ($6MM buyout)
  • Team holds $5MM option on RHP Lou Trivino
  • Team holds $2.5MM option on RHP Luke Weaver

Additional Obligations

2025 financial commitments (if Cole doesn't hit free agency): $183.5MM
Total future commitments (if Cole doesn't opt out): $662.5MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (projected salaries via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Non-tender candidates: Berti, Mayza, Grisham, Brubaker

Free Agents

There's no bigger story of the offseason than Juan Soto. That's true not only for the Yankees but MLB as a whole. Soto's next contract is almost certainly going to surpass $500MM. There's a reasonable chance the guarantee begins with a 6. He should break the record both for average annual value and overall guarantee (assuming one takes the net present value of the Shohei Ohtani deal rather than the $700MM figure, which does not account for the contract's $680MM of deferrals).

The Yankees are obviously going to try to keep Soto in the Bronx. His first season couldn't have gone much better. Soto had arguably the best full year of his career. He just turned 26 and is theoretically only entering his prime, at least offensively. The defense probably won't age well over the course of a deal that stretches beyond a decade, but it doesn't really matter. Soto's floor at the plate is better than any free agent's in recent memory.

Every high-payroll team will be tied to Soto. There's a chance it comes down to a bidding war between the New York franchises. The Mets are clearly going to be all-in. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns stoked the flames last week, saying the franchise's ample payroll space "means that pretty much the entirety of the player universe is potentially accessible." The biggest offseason question may be whether Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to be outbid by Mets owner Steve Cohen on a player who was instrumental in pushing the Yankees to their first pennant in 15 years.

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Alex Kirilloff Announces Retirement

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Twins outfielder and first baseman Alex Kirilloff is retiring from his playing career, as he announced on his personal Instagram account this morning. The Twins subsequently confirmed his retirement in an announcement on X. The soon to be 27-year-old would have been slated for his second of four trips through arbitration with Minnesota this winter.

The surprising decision comes due to the numerous injuries Kirilloff has sustained throughout his career. The outfielder was plagued by a number of wrist, shoulder, and back injuries throughout his career that have caused him to make seven trips to the injured list during his four years in the majors, limiting him to just 249 games played at the big league level. That long list of injuries includes three surgeries: two on his wrist and one on his shoulder.

“In my nine professional seasons, I’ve encountered numerous injuries, which led me to search for new ways to overcome the pain. These challenges have taken a toll on me mentally and physically; over time, I’ve realized that my passion for playing the game has shifted,” Kirilloff said in his announcement. “Baseball demands an ‘all-in’ approach, something I’ve brought to every season. However, I can no longer give it the total commitment it requires. I’ve always believed that playing this game requires 110% effort, and anything less would not do justice to my teammates, coaches, fans, or the game itself.”

Kirilloff’s professional career began when he was selected 15th overall by the Twins in the 2016 draft. While he didn’t make his full-season pro debut until 2018, Kirilloff tore through the lower levels of the minors with a .348/.392/.578 slash line in 130 games at the Single-A and High-A levels in that first full season, which immediately catapulted him towards top prospect status. He entered 2019 as a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport, and even following a slight downturn in production in his first taste of Double-A action that year he remained a consensus top-30 prospect in the game when he made his big league debut in 2021.

Though hampered by a torn ligament in his wrist, Kirilloff’s first season in the majors was generally a solid one as he slashed a roughly league average .251/.299/.423 with eight home runs and 11 doubles in just 231 trips to the plate. Unfortunately, those wrist issues continued to plague Kirilloff in his second year as a big leaguer as well, limiting him to just 156 trips to the plate across 45 games and leading him to undergo wrist surgery for the second consecutive season.

After that second wrist surgery, things finally appeared to be looking up for the talented youngster last year. His season debut was delayed until early May by recovery from the aforementioned surgery, but he hit quite well out of the gate with a .314/.448/.486 slash line in that first month back in the majors. While his production tailed off a bit from there, he remained a regular fixture in the Twins lineup throughout the first half and was hitting a solid .270/.357/.442 through the end of July. Unfortunately, he promptly found himself sidelined by a strained right shoulder that would cause him to miss the entire month of August. Though he managed to return late in the year to play another 19 games in September, the ailment ultimately required yet another surgery that left him to spend his third consecutive offseason rehabbing.

When Kirilloff returned to the Twins lineup in 2024, he once again hit quite well early in the season with a .259/.323/.471 slash line through May 1. Unfortunately, the outfielder began to struggle even as his underlying metrics were solid, and he hit just .135/.207/.284 in what would ultimately be the final 30 games of his big league career. Once again hobbled by an injury, Kirilloff was placed on the injured list in mid-June due to a back injury he had been attempting to play through. The injury proved to be due to a nerve issue, and though he began a rehab assignment with the Twins in late August, that lasted just one game before he found himself sidelined once again. With a fourth consecutive offseason set to be dominated by the rehab process, that Kirilloff found himself in his own words unable to give the “110% effort” required to be a professional ballplayer is understandable.

In all, Kirilloff wraps up his big league career with 249 games played in the majors and a respectable .248/.309/.412 slash line across 884 trips to the plate. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Kirilloff on the hard work and perseverance he showed throughout his career and wish him all the best in retirement.

The 2024-25 Offseason Begins

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After the Dodgers secured their second title in five years, the offseason is officially underway. Transactions should begin again today. Teams are permitted to begin making trades. There’ll be a host of waiver claims as clubs clear space from their 40-man roster, largely in tandem with the necessary reinstatement of injured players from the IL. Teams and players have five days to decide whether to exercise any contractual options.

Free agency technically opens today, but there’s a five-day window for exclusive negotiation between teams and their own free agents. We’re not getting a Juan Soto signing anytime soon, but we could see a handful of smaller extensions as teams try to keep some players from testing the open market.

MLBTR’s winter coverage will kick off later today with our preview of the Top 35 Trade Candidates. We’ve already released projected arbitration salaries from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz and taken a position-by-position look at the upcoming free agent class while previewing the qualifying offer decisions for pitchers and position players. Our Top 50 Free Agents post will be published on Monday evening after the finalization of option and QO calls.

OCTOBER 31: Free agency begins for eligible players, but they aren’t permitted to sign with other teams for at least five days. Free agents no longer count against their previous teams’ 40-man rosters. Trades of players who were on the 40-man roster reopen for the first time since last summer’s deadline.

NOVEMBER 3: Gold Glove winners announced.

NOVEMBER 4: Free agents are eligible to sign with any team. All players or teams with contractual options/opt-out clauses must make their decisions by this evening. Teams have until 4:00 pm Central to decide whether to issue qualifying offers to eligible free agents.

NOVEMBER 4-7: General managers meetings in San Antonio, Texas. The GM Meetings typically lay the groundwork for the offseason rather than spurring much roster movement in themselves. They’re nevertheless significant as an opportunity for media to speak with high-level executives, which can shed some light on teams’ goals for the winter.

NOVEMBER 12: Silver Slugger award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 14: Reliever of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 18: Rookie of the Year award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 19: Players have until 3:00 pm Central to decide whether to accept the qualifying offer. If they accept, they’ll return to their previous team on a one-year, $21.05MM contract. Players who accept a QO, like all major league free agent signees, cannot be traded without their consent until June 15. Those who decline the QO are tied to draft compensation. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently covered what each team would receive for losing a qualified free agent and the penalties that teams would pay to sign a player who declined a QO.

NOVEMBER 19: Rule 5 protection deadline. Teams must add players who would otherwise be eligible for the Rule 5 draft to their 40-man roster by this date to keep them out of the draft.

NOVEMBER 19: Manager of the Year award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 19-21: Quarterly owners meetings in New York.

NOVEMBER 20: Cy Young award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 21: MVP award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 22: Non-tender deadline. Teams must decide whether to offer contracts to the arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration players on their 40-man roster. They do not need to agree to salaries by this date, but there’ll be a flurry of salary agreements as players who might otherwise be non-tender candidates often lock in deals at slightly lesser than projected salaries to avoid being cut loose. Players who are non-tendered immediately become free agents without going through waivers.

DECEMBER 8: Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Committee announcement.

DECEMBER 8-11: Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. The Winter Meetings are the offseason’s busiest few days and annually feature ample free agent and trade activity.

DECEMBER 10: Amateur draft lottery. The Rockies and Marlins have the best chance (22.45% each) of securing next year’s first overall pick.

DECEMBER 11: Rule 5 draft. Players selected must stay on their new teams’ active rosters for the entire ’25 season or be offered back to their original organization.

DECEMBER 15: Closing of the 2024 signing period for international amateurs.

JANUARY 9: Teams and arbitration-eligible players exchange salary filing figures. They’re free to continue negotiating beyond this date, though virtually every team treats this as an unofficial deadline to avoid an arbitration hearing unless they sign a multi-year contract.

JANUARY 15: Opening of the 2025 signing period for international amateurs. The majority of the international signings for the year will be announced on this date, as virtually all the top prospects have reached handshake agreements by this point. The notable (potential) exception: Japanese star Roki Sasaki, who has expressed an interest in being posted for MLB teams but would be subject to amateur bonus pool restrictions as a player under the age of 25 if his NPB team makes him available this offseason.

JANUARY 21: Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame announcement.

JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 14: Arbitration hearings. Arbitrators must choose either the team’s or player’s filing figure, not a midpoint.

FEBRUARY 12: Voluntary report date for pitchers and catchers. Players from the Dodgers and Cubs, who’ll open the season in Tokyo, could arrive a few days earlier.

FEBRUARY 17: Voluntary report date for other players.

FEBRUARY 20: Spring Training play begins.

MARCH 18-19: Dodgers and Cubs open regular season play with a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome.

MARCH 27: Domestic Opening Day.

White Sox Hire Will Venable As Manager

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Oct 31: The White Sox officially announced Venable’s hiring this morning, noting that he has agreed to a multiyear contract with the club. As noted by Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Getz praised his new skipper in a statement alongside the announcement:

“Will is widely recognized as one of the premium managerial candidates within the game, and we are very excited to bring him into our organization as our new manager. He is so well thought of across baseball. Will has built a well-earned and well-deserved reputation as a successful player, front office executive, coach and associate manager. A great communicator, Will is going to build strong relationships, set expectations, build a clubhouse where we hold one another accountable, and ultimately, create a winning mindset among our players and a winning environment in our clubhouse.”

Venable also made a statement as part of the team’s press release:

“This is a great opportunity with a White Sox organization that is putting a lot of good things into place and laying a solid foundation for the future. It’s exciting to be part of that process to help get back to the type of baseball White Sox fans are used to seeing. We want players who show up to work hard every day, but also smart baseball players who understand the nuances of the game. There is a rich tradition here and a fan base that deserves winning baseball, and I am excited to do whatever I can to help.”

Oct 29: The White Sox have reached an agreement to hire Will Venable as manager, reports Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Venable has spent the last two seasons on Bruce Bochy’s staff as the associate manager of the Rangers. Major League Baseball discourages teams from revealing news on days with a playoff game, so the Sox are unlikely to make the hiring official until Thursday.

In any case, it’s a nice birthday present. Venable, who turned 42 on Tuesday, gets his first big league managerial opportunity. That has seemed like an inevitability. Venable has been regarded as a future manager for years. He’s a Princeton graduate who played in parts of nine major league seasons. The majority of his playing experience came in San Diego, where he was a well-rounded outfielder.

Venable finished his playing days in 2017. It didn’t take long for him to move into the next phase of his career. He joined the Cubs’ front office late in the ’17 campaign. Venable moved into coaching the following year, joining Joe Maddon’s staff as first base coach. Teams were considering him for managerial vacancies within a couple seasons. Venable interviewed for the Cubs job after Maddon departed the organization, while he also sat down with the Giants and Astros.

Chicago ultimately tabbed David Ross. Venable stayed on Ross’ staff for the 2020 season and again found himself in managerial searches. He interviewed with the Tigers and Red Sox, and while neither team hired as manager, Boston added him as bench coach not long after rehiring Alex Cora.

Venable spent two seasons in Boston. While the Red Sox hoped to bring him back for 2023, he departed to take on the associate manager role in Arlington. It proved to be a wise choice, as Venable collected a World Series ring during his first year. He pulled himself out of consideration for managerial openings last offseason, formally declining an interview with the Mets and bypassing a chance to pursue the Guardians opening.

Between his standing as the #2 coach in Texas and his decision not to proceed through the interview process last winter, Venable seemed like the manager-in-waiting in Arlington. Bochy will be back for at least a third season and hasn’t publicly tipped his hand on retirement plans. It’s not clear whether the circumstances in Texas have changed. Venable may simply have felt that he needed another year of experience and is now ready to lead a dugout.

Whatever the reason, he viewed this winter as the right time to look for a managerial opportunity. There have only been three vacancies thus far. The Reds quickly brought Terry Francona out of retirement. That left the White Sox and Marlins. Venable not only interviewed for both positions but emerged as a finalist in each search. The Miami Herald reported on Tuesday that he and Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz were finalists for the Marlins position. There hasn’t been any word out of Miami since Venable took the Sox job, but one can infer that Albernaz is likely to land in South Florida.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Tuesday that Venable, Albernaz and Phil Nevin were the finalists in Chicago. The Sox are also known to have interviewed Texas bench coach Donnie Ecker. Grady Sizemore, who took over as interim manager when the White Sox fired Pedro Grifol in August, also received consideration. Skip Schumaker, A.J. Ellis, Daniel Descalso, Clayton McCullough and George Lombard were among the other reported candidates.

In August, GM Chris Getz indicated the White Sox were looking outside the organization. While Sizemore was in the mix, they’ll indeed go with an external hire. Venable will have his work cut out for him with the White Sox coming off the worst season in modern baseball history. He joins the franchise at a time when owner Jerry Reinsdorf has floated the possibility of a sale. It’s an organization in flux.

It’s a much different situation than Venable would’ve assumed had he pursued and landed a job with the Mets or Cleveland a year ago. Those clubs certainly would’ve provided a clearer path to contention than he’ll find with the White Sox. Venable is familiar with the city after spending three seasons across town, though, and the rebuild should give him time to learn on the job as he works with a roster that won’t be expected to contend in the near future.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Daniel Hudson Announces Retirement

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Following the Dodgers’ decisive victory over the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series last night, veteran reliever Daniel Hudson announced to reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that he will retire from playing as a champion. The veteran of 15 big league seasons has played for the Dodgers, Padres, Nationals, Blue Jays, Pirates, Diamondbacks, and White Sox throughout his lengthy career.

Hudson, 37, was selected by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. Then a starting pitcher, the right-hander was a fast riser to the majors who made his big league debut just one year after being drafted, in 2009. He made just nine appearances for the team that drafted him across two seasons before being shipped to the Diamondbacks in a deal for Edwin Jackson. Hudson slotted into the Diamondbacks rotation down the stretch and put on a dazzling performance for fans in Arizona, with a 1.69 ERA and 3.22 FIP in 11 starts spread across 79 2/3 innings of work.

That dominant late-season performance suggested the Snakes had landed a quality starter ready for a full season’s workload in the majors. The right-hander’s first full season with the Dbacks seemed to support that, as he posted a solid 3.49 ERA while logging 222 innings across 33 starts for the club in 2011. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse from there. Hudson’s 2012 season saw him post disastrous results through nine starts before going under the knife for Tommy John surgery that July. He’d miss the entire 2013 season while rehabbing and made it back to a big league mound only at the tail end of the 2014 season.

Hudson’s elbow troubles marked the end of his career as a starter, but his time in the majors was just getting started as he began to fashion himself into a reliever. His first season out of the bullpen in Arizona was relatively pedestrian, as the then-28-year-old pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 67 2/3 innings of work while striking out 24.5% of opponents. It was more of the same for the right-hander over the next several years, as he bounced from team to team as a solid but unspectacular middle reliever. From 2015 to 2018, Hudson suited up for Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles with rather pedestrian results. His 96 ERA+ was just below league average during that time, and he struck out 23.3% of opponents.

Things changed for Hudson in 2019, however. After latching on with the Blue Jays on a one-year deal, Hudson looked quite good for the rebuilding club in the first half of the season as he posted a solid 3.00 ERA in 48 innings of work. That solid performance was enough to draw interest from the Nationals, who at the time were in a tight race with the Phillies, Brewers, and Cubs for two NL Wild Card spots. The bullpen had been a sore spot for D.C. throughout the year, but Hudson helped to change that with a dominant late-season run that saw him post an eye-popping 1.44 ERA in 24 late-season innings for the Nationals.

That incredible work led Hudson to join closer Sean Doolittle as one of only a handful of trusted pitchers on Dave Martinez’s staff during the postseason. Hudson managed scoreless appearances in seven of his nine outings for the Nationals during that playoff run, highlighted by his save in the NL Wild Card Game against the Brewers to and his scoreless frame of work to close out Game 7 of the World Series and earn the Nats their first World Series championship in club history. After securing his first ring, Hudson remained with the Nationals for two more seasons. After a difficult 2020 campaign, he pitched well enough during the 2021 season to get traded to the Padres down the stretch, though San Diego ultimately missed the postseason.

The final act of Hudson’s career began in 2022 when he signed on to return to the Dodgers. During his second stint in Los Angeles, Hudson was nothing short of electric when on the mound, with a 2.69 ERA a 26.9% strikeout rate when healthy enough to take the mound. Staying healthy proved to be a challenge, however, as ACL and MCL injuries limited the veteran to just 27 1/3 innings of work over the 2022 and ’23 campaigns. He remained with the Dodgers on a minor league deal last winter, however, and was part of the club’s Opening Day bullpen. Now that he was finally healthy, the 37-year-old impressed with a 3.00 ERA in 63 innings of work while collecting ten saves with the Dodgers throughout the year. While a difficult outing in Game 4 of the World Series skewed his overall postseason numbers, Hudson was a generally effective relief arm for the club throughout their playoff run this year, throwing scoreless frames in five of his seven outings en route to his second career championship.

Altogether, Hudson posted a 3.74 ERA (111 ERA+) and a nearly-matching 3.76 FIP over 855 1/3 career innings during the regular season (to go with 21 postseason innings). He won 65 games and saved 43 while striking out 817 batters and appearing in 537 total contests. Those of us at MLB Trade Rumors salute Hudson on a fine career and wish him all the best in whatever comes next for the two-time World Series champion.

The Opener: Offseason, Trade Candidates, Cole

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On the heels of last night’s wild finale to the 2024 season, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. The offseason has arrived!

Game 5 of the World Series was a rollercoaster ride as the Yankees jumped out to a five-run lead in the early innings, only for the Dodgers to respond with five unearned runs off Gerrit Cole in a disastrous fifth inning full of defensive miscues. The Yankees managed to take the lead back, but only briefly as the Dodgers scored two runs in the eighth to put them ahead 7 to 6 before slamming the door on the Yankees offense for the final six outs of the 2024 campaign. While the Dodgers plan a parade and the Yankees lick their wounds, the rest of the baseball world will be turning their attention to the offseason, which officially arrives today. While it’s likely that things won’t really start to pick up for a few more days, today kicks off what’s sure to be a busy winter full of rumors, trades, and signings to discuss here at MLBTR.

2. Who are the winter’s top trade candidates?

While transactions may not be picking up just yet, it’s only a matter of time before trade and free agent rumors begin to fly. MLBTR’s annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list is still a few days away, but readers looking for an offseason primer can look forward to a look at the Top 35 MLB Trade Candidates for the coming offseason later today! With teams like the White Sox and Marlins in the midst of rebuilds and even more competitive clubs like the Cardinals and Rangers looking to cut payroll this winter, plenty of intriguing names figure to be on the trade block this winter. The list doesn’t exclusively focus on clubs that appear certain to be active on the trade market, however, and features players from 23 of the league’s 30 clubs. Which players might your favorite club look to dangle this offseason? Tune in later today to find out!

3. What’s next for Cole?

While the vast majority of the attention was rightfully focused on star Yankees outfielder (and pending free agent) Juan Soto’s future last night, there’s one other star player on the Yankees who’s facing a decision this winter. That’s veteran right-hander Gerrit Cole, who has the ability to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his contract with the Yankees if he so chooses. Should he decide to do so, the Yankees would then have the option to tack on an additional year and $36MM to Cole’s contract in order to stop him from hitting the open market.

A year ago, it looked all but certain that things would play out exactly that way, with Cole opting-out and the Yankees voiding that decision by exercising their option. Things don’t appear quite that certain anymore, however, as Cole is coming off an injury-shortened 2024 campaign where he was limited to just 17 starts. Those starts saw him pitch to a solid 3.41 ERA (121 ERA+), but that figure constitutes a step back from both his Cy Young 2023 (163 ERA+) and his overall figure (134 ERA+) as a Yankee. Will Cole attempt to beat that $144MM on the open market ahead of his age-34 campaign? And if he does, will the Yankees let him go?

Dodgers Win World Series

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The Dodgers are champions. Los Angeles stormed back from a 5-0 deficit tonight (with some help from the Yankees’ defense) for a 7-6 win to take it in five games. No team had ever come back from five runs down in a World Series clincher. As expected, Freddie Freeman won the Series MVP award.

It’s their second title in five seasons. While the pandemic restrictions limited their celebration in 2020, they’ll get to host a parade this time. The Dodgers were baseball’s best team in the regular season, leading MLB with 98 wins while outscoring opponents by 179 runs. There were nevertheless questions heading into October about whether a pitching staff battered by injuries could hold up.

The run to a championship wasn’t without adversity. L.A. found itself on the brink of elimination in its Division Series against the Padres. San Diego took a 2-1 series lead. The Friars had two chances to close it out, but Dodger pitching blanked them in consecutive games to advance. That was their only brush with elimination. Los Angeles took a 3-1 lead in the NL Championship Series against the Mets before closing it out in six.

They got out to an even better start to the World Series. Freeman’s two-out, walk-off grand slam off Nestor Cortes pulled them to a Game 1 victory. They survived a ninth-inning scare in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead to the Bronx. Los Angeles took Game 3 in a 4-2 win that wasn’t as close as the score suggested. The stranglehold on the series gave them three more clinching chances after Tuesday’s blowout loss.

For a while, it looked like tonight would be another easy defeat. An early offensive barrage from the Yankees knocked Jack Flaherty out of the game in the second inning. The Series looked to be headed back to L.A. until a defensive collapse by the Yanks in the fifth inning. Errors by Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe helped load the bases before a critical two-out miscommunication between Anthony Rizzo and Gerrit Cole that extended the inning. Hits by Freeman and Teoscar Hernández plated four more runs to tie it.

While the Yankees pulled back in front with a 6-5 lead, the Dodgers would take control in the eighth inning. The bottom half of the L.A. order loaded the bases against Tommy Kahnle. Sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts put them in front. Blake Treinen navigated a tricky bottom half of the eighth. After churning through their high-leverage bullpen arms, Dave Roberts turned to Walker Buehler for the ninth. Buehler easily set down the bottom third of the Yankee order, securing the title with consecutive punchouts of Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo.

Freeman homered in each of the first four games. While he didn’t extend that streak tonight, his two-run single in the fifth was pivotal. He wins his second championship, while Betts and injured reliever Joe Kelly join Royals’ reliever Will Smith as active players with three titles (h/t to Matt Eddy of Baseball America). Among the first-time champions: Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández*, Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and NLCS MVP Tommy Edman.

It’s the eighth title in franchise history, the Dodgers’ first in a full season since 1988. The organization pulls even with the Giants for fifth on the all-time leaderboard. They’re now one away from the A’s and Red Sox, who are tied for third with nine rings apiece. The Yankees remain on 27 championships for at least another season, while the Cardinals are in second with 11 titles.

* Hernández was on the 2017 Astros but was traded midseason.

Image courtesy of Imagn.

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