7:10pm: The Cardinals have announced that Hudson has been non-tendered, leaving him set to hit the open market where he’ll be able to sign with any of MLB’s 30 clubs.
4:29pm: The Cardinals are shopping right-hander Dakota Hudson “pretty hard” this afternoon ahead of today’s non-tender deadline, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Feinsand also suggests that St. Louis’s aggressiveness on Hudson could indicate the club views him as a non-tender candidate.
Hudson, 29, is projected by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz for $3.7MM this offseason in his penultimate trip through arbitration. The right-hander made his MLB debut back in 2018 and managed to get quality mid-rotation results through the first three seasons of his career, with a 3.17 ERA (131 ERA+) in 217 innings of work from 2018-20. That success came in spite of some shaky peripheral numbers that undercut the otherwise strong performance; Hudson struck out just 18.1% of batters faced while walking 11.6% during those years, leaving him with an unsightly 4.74 FIP in spite of an excellent 57.3% groundball rate.
Things took a turn for the worse for Hudson late in the 2020 campaign, however, when he was sidelined by Tommy John surgery. The injury would limit him to just 8 2/3 innings of work in 2021. While he returned as a regular member of the Cardinals rotation in 2022, his results had fallen back to Earth as he posted a mediocre 4.45 ERA (88 ERA+) in 139 2/3 innings of work, with a 10.1% walk rate that nearly matched his 13.1% strikeout rate. Only Zack Greinke struck out a lower percentage of batters among pitchers with at least 100 innings of work that year, while Hudson’s K-BB of just 2.9% was dead last.
While the Cardinals tendered Hudson a contract for the 2023 campaign, he was largely relegated to a depth option in the minor leagues despite the club struggling to field a viable rotation throughout much of the year. While he missed a month early in the season due to a neck issue, 11 of his 23 total starts in 2023 were made for the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, with whom he struggled to a 6.00 ERA in 48 innings of work. His 4.98 ERA in 81 1/3 innings of work at the big league level, while an improvement, was still 12% worse than league average by measure of ERA+. It’s worth noting that Hudson flashed a more serviceable form when pitching out of the bullpen in the majors this year, with a walk rate below 10% and a 3.86 ERA across 16 1/3 innings of work in six multi-inning relief outings.
Though Hudson has considerable success in his past as a big league starter and showed flashes of quality out of the bullpen this year, it’s not clear whether a team would be interested in parting with much of value for the opportunity to tender him a contract this winter. After all, the Cardinals themselves are among the teams most hungry for starting pitching options in the league at the moment. That being said, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a pitching-needy club work out a trade for Hudson, as the Rockies did for righty Cal Quantrill earlier today. If Hudson finds himself non-tendered by the Cardinals this evening, he could draw interest as a low-cost depth option on a market with plenty of demand for pitching.
Who wants to hand over a shiny bag of balls for the right to pay this guy $3.7m?
$3.7m is nothing. If he can do a sub 4 ERA out of the pen as a long man, like he did last year, that’s a bargain.
If you think 3.7 is nothing you haven’t seen this guy pitch. It’s an overpay of about 3.65
So the Cards are looking to dump damaged goods huh, Andrew Friedman is 1000% going to pick him up….and pay him $9m a year because brain damage.
Friedman better lay off the sauce if he does. Everytime I see him speak his face is flushed, he has an impish grin on his face, and his eyes are all sorts of glossy.
Don’t worry, Moreno will drive this kid’s price up over 10m.
Jeezuss…Is this what it’s come to?!
5 SO/9 and a 5 ERA….I think he will get you about what Cal Quantril did. Maybe less as he is only controlled for 1 year.
Yeah he’s a borderline DFA candidate. They are trying to get something for him instead of nothing
I came here to say the same thing. Everyone slammed the Guardians for DFAing Quantrill but Hudson is even cheaper with a similar profile and seemingly can’t draw any interest.
Most of the ones slamming the Guardians are clueless. There is a reason why guys like that end up on the Rox.
We don’t know if either guy is generating any interest.
Quantrill was already traded so I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he generated some interest
I think Hudson makes sense for some teams. Heck I think he makes some sense for the Guardians because he’s similar to Quantrill but cheaper.
If the Cardinals can get something for him great if not so what? It’s not a big deal at all.
Sounds like damaged goods and a salary dump to me.. Buyer beware.
He’s not damaged goods. He’s always been bad.
Jake Meyers for Gallegos and Hudson
Love to have Meyers and Hudson is whatever but I like Gallegos. Cardinals need to add relievers not subtract them.
Yeah I’m just going through baseball trade values and posting ridiculous offers that are “fair” lol
I don’t hate the deal at all I just think the Cardinals might want to keep Gallegos. Also the Cardinals have Victor Scott coming soon so starting centerfielder isn’t a need but a 4th outfielder could be. I would like to have Meyers.
Hoping the Pirates won’t go after him.
A team that needs 3-4 starters is shopping a starter making 3.7 million. That’s not a red flag.
The Cardinals need 2 starters but they need an ace and a number 2. There is plenty of backend marginal depth the problem is top of the rotation pitching.
lol. The Cards need two starters?! They currently have 1.5 starters in Mikolas and Matz. There is zero depth behind them and this is NOT an exaggeration. No starter in the organization has earned a place in the rotation based on results. Therefore, the Cards actually need 4 starters coming in from outside the organization. Sign 2 FA’s, trade for 2 starters, and now you’re getting close to what’s needed for a decent staff. Anyone thinking otherwise is brainwashed by the Cards POBO/GM and his propaganda machine at the Post Dispatch.
That is what my thoughts were as well
I would guess the Yankees will trade Giancarlo Stanton straight up for Hudson. 🙂
That’s the dream.
Aggressively shopping a pitcher while prioritizing adding 2-3 pitchers doesn’t leave you with much leverage in trade negotiations
It has zero relevance.
I would say the fact that you are aggressively shopping a pitcher right before the deadline to tender him a contract is what’s relevant. There is no leverage here for the Cardinals it’s take what you can get if you can get anything at all.
Everyone can see what he did with Cards. Only ? is do you think that is worth 3.7 or whatever or do you think you can improve him. What the Cards think of him doesn’t move the leverage needle one way or another. Teams will offer what they think he is worth. Cards could say only trade if blown away or if he isn’t traded he is getting non tender. Doesn’t matter leverage wise.
The fact the Cardinals are in need of starters has no bearing on Hudson’s value. Your thoughts are generally irrelevant.
Is that old man Quincy? I imagine Old Friend isn’t too far behind. Lol you got issues dude. You miss me?
Nobody will ever miss you, Joel.
Dude you followed me over here.
Did you hear the news about ONeill getting non tendered?
Yeah I didn’t either……
Hey – do you remember how you thought Hudson was horribly mistreated by being left in the minors most of the year?
I do.
I said we should have traded Hudson last offseason fella.
Rent free baby!!!
The leverage is that once Hudson is on the open market, he can sign anywhere. So if you really want him, you can offer something in trade.
Nobody wanted him.
There’s barely a single player on the team you have not suggested trading, you sad delusional little man.
wow joel the clown followed you here
Aggressively shopping
======================
That’s like I am aggressively shopping my Jeff Stone rookie cards, because no one wants them.
The Sox will give you the Six pack of Skunk Beer and the 12 moldy Hot Dog buns they get for Eloy Jimenez. Or better yet, Even Swap!
I’d take Hudson over most starters. I’ve liked his stuff in the past. Hes easily a big rebound candidate. Reminds me a lot of Michael Wacha
Before Bloom discovered Wacha, he had a big finish for the Rays. Dakota was awful down the stretch, He had a 13/20 K/W in his final 38 IPs. That’s almost impossible to do.
A’s
Dodgers should take a look. They could fix him. So should the Guardians, Twins, Royals and Pirates. Basically, anybody who needs a starting pitcher and has a coaching staff that has something to offer other than “throw harder”. The Giants could probably make good use of Dak. If the Cardinals had prime Steve Carlton right now, he would have his worst season. The Cardinals only break pitchers, they don’t fix them. Some team could find value here.
I wish I could argue your point but I….. can’t.
No control and no ability to get strikeouts. His best asset is his ground ball rate which he needs because he puts so many on base. Might be worth a shot as a reliever but not at that price as there’s not enough history to prove he’s decent out of the pen. Will be non-tendered and signed by someone for less.
Cardinals need pitching and they are shopping a pitcher…hard pass
If he has any value Friedman will pick him up. Stay tuned
Shopping Hudson is the equivalent of selling rotten fruit at the farmers market. He throws soft, only his change up has any movement and he can’t find the plate. They aren’t going to get any pitching this offseason that helps the club so theoretically best path forward is to free up the 40 man spots so they can give looks to McGreevy, Grecefo, Hence, Hjerpe, Roby, Robnerse, etc… don’t tell me any of them aren’t ready. Hence is 21 the other are 22 or older, if they got top level talent, then by their current age, they should be able to get out in the majors. Should be a revolving tryout until they show they need to be sent down.
Looks like the deadline has passed and they didn’t trade or non-tender him.
Isn’t saving $3.7M good enough for Moe & DeWitt? Why are they wasting everyone’s time shopping a useless pitcher? Wow. Find something productive to do.
Let’s see if he’s non tendered now.
They might hold and try to rebuild his value in the spring. Mo is nothing if not an optimist.
WOW! A fire Sale! Good Luck Cardinals!
Another Mozeliak fail in his inability to get something/anything for this guy
More like Hudson’s fail to get anything for himself.
Good riddance. Hudson is mediocrity defined. Terribly low strikeouts and basically serves up BP every time he throws. Good job Cardinals. You can do better with a AAA arm for minimum pay.
Hudson stinks. Can’t get any worse. Good move.
Until whoever let Lynn walk , Montgomery walk , whoever couldn’t see the potential in Sandy or Zak , until that person is gone , the cards are bottom feeders .
Even if they were willing to spend , which they won’t, you can’t buy a rotation in one off season . I seen it last year before the season started they had no pitching , and they won’t have it this year . But on a brighter note , they will probably sign Miles to a extension .
‘Let Montgomery walk’???
That trade was an excellent deadline deal for both clubs. You’d rather they kept him and got nothing other than 3 more wins – to still finish last?
Doh.
You sign your only reliable pitcher , the league is full of maybe or maybe nots, and that’s all they got
What?
There is literally no argument for not trading Montgomery. Even if they got nothing, and they actually got 2 prospects both of whom are in their top 10 and have performed well since joining the Cardinals.
Its a great trade for the Cards, and it tipped Texas over to WS champs. Excellent trade for both clubs.
Reliable, proven starters are a very rare commodity and its the only one the cards had . Just like way back when , when Lynn was their only reliable arm , you act like their going to sign another one , they won’t, at best they will pick up another Miles , when they need 5
Did it escape your attention that Montgomery was gone at the end of 2023 anyway?
No we should have extended him. The only way it’s a good trade for the Cards is if he re-signs
They tried on the Spring and he said no. Or Boras, his agent, did.
You sign him as Hamburger said , his work with the Yankees proved he was worth it , but no as I stated, the front office let’s their only reliable pitcher walk . Until whoever makes those decisions are gone , cellar dwellers are who they are , 2024 is already a wash, wait and see
I give up.
A change of scenery might do him good, give him some triple A work in another organization like the Dodgers, may be they could do something with him.
Unless they have something concrete in the works, they’re gonna regret this. Cheap, shines half of the time. He’s a great 5th starter imo
They refuse to pay for quality pitching , when they had Quintana and Montgomery in the club house , I thought maybe their serious again , and could of resigned both if they were willing to pay them , but no they decided to pay miles .