The White Sox are trading reliever Bryan Hudson to the Mets, first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It’s a cash deal. Chicago designated the lefty for assignment last week to make room for outfielder Austin Hays. New York placed right-hander Reed Garrett on the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. The Mets have officially announced both transactions.
Hudson split last season between the Brewers and the White Sox. He broke camp with Milwaukee, but struggled with control over the first month of the season. After piling up nine walks in 8 2/3 innings, Hudson found himself back in Triple-A. He’d make it back up for one more appearance with the club in May. The Brewers designated the 28-year-old lefty for assignment in July. Chicago scooped him up, and he pitched in four games with the team.
Hudson was a key contributor in a Brewers bullpen that led the National League in ERA in 2024. He provided a pristine 1.73 ERA across 62 2/3 innings. Hudson finished second on the team with 14 holds and also found his way to six wins. A .148 BABIP was sure to regress, as was a 94.2% left on base rate, but Hudson seemed to establish himself as an important cog in Milwaukee.
Finding the zone was a major problem for Hudson last season. He posted a 57.9% strike rate across 16 big-league appearances. The lefty also saw his arsenal take a step back. Hudson’s four-seamer, which was already on the softer side, averaged just 90.5 mph in 2025. His sweeper and cutter also lost velocity. Hudson’s Stuff+ fell from 100 to 94 this past year.
As Sherman notes, there’s an opening in New York’s bullpen for a left-handed arm if A.J. Minter isn’t ready for Opening Day. Minter is recovering from surgery to repair a torn lat. His status is uncertain to begin the season. The Mets have Brooks Raley as a southpaw option in the later innings, but the rest of the current projected bullpen is right-handed.
Garrett underwent Tommy John surgery in October. He’s expected to miss the entire 2026 season, so his transition to the 60-day injured list doesn’t come as a surprise.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
Ok, at least it’s not Rock Hudson.
99Captain: It’s such an unusual last name and such a charmingly witty comment that you crafted! Maybe you should go back to your trove of Richard Lovelady jokes.
You’re old.
wow… given the depth quality differences in these two 4O man rosters, the Mets must value Hudson a lot more than the Sox
mets pitchers and catchers report tomorrow and they’ll have 2 new 40 man roster spots open when they move players to the 60 day IL. this is an extra body who might not survive ST.
This is another good move by Stearns. Based on what we saw last year, you can’t have too many lefty pitchers in the bullpen. This year, the Mets are stocking up on lefties.
Decent depth move that’s certain to infuriate the base
Getz will say this stems from the Robert trade somehow…
My guess is that he may still have an option left so they can shuttle him back and forth between Queens and Syracuse as needed.
Hudson is out of options.
He was phenomenal in 2024 but got overused and his velocity decreased, likely due to fatigue. Last year he only had a small sample size in the majors but this is a potentially sneaky good pickup if he can return to form.