The Giants and veteran starter Tim Hudson agreed to a two year, $23 million deal.
Coming off a season where he posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 131 1/3 innings pitched before fracturing his ankle, Hudson was one of the top targets on San Francisco's list of arms to help solidify their rotation.
He brings an impressive 205-111 win/loss record over 15 seasons; 6 with Oakland and the last 9 with Atlanta, 3 All-Star selections, and a career .649 win percentage among his long list of career accolades.
A few notes on how this signing effects both Hudson and the Giants from this point forward:
Tim Hudson: The 38 year old righty returns to the Bay Area, where his career began in 1999 with the A's. A two year contract brings him to his age 40 season, meaning this may be his final push for a championship (something he hasn't accomplished in his career).
- Pitching at AT&T Park should give Hudson a chance to build upon his impressive run over the last few years. In 8 career starts at AT&T, Hudson is 3-3 with a 3.81 ERA. While the numbers aren't overly-impressive, pitching roughly half of his games in San Francisco should help him post another sub 3.50 ERA season, which he's done 8 different times in his career.
- Hudson recently had the screw removed from his fractured ankle and is expected to be fully healthy heading into 2014.
- San Francisco will present yet another opportunity for Hudson to pitch in a stacked rotation. As part of powerhouse pitching staffs in both Oakland and Atlanta, Hudson is used to having star arms around him. With Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum in the rotation, Hudson projects to slot into the #4 spot behind Lincecum (although a good spring could lead to leap-frogging him for the #3 spot). Either way, Hudson will be one of the more impressive #3/4 guys in all of baseball.
The Giants: San Francisco locks up a 4th member of their rotation, as Hudson joins a solid group of arms. With only the 5th and final rotation spot a question mark, the Giants can turn their attention to addressing the final piece in the pitching staff.
- This may close the door on Ryan Vogelsong's return to the team. The Giants are linked to names such as Dan Haren, Jason Hammel and Bronson Arroyo, all of whom are higher on their list of targets than Vogelsong. Yusmeiro Petit is another option for the rotation.
- At an average of $12.5 million for the next two years, the Giants added a solid piece without breaking the bank. This leaves the team with enough payroll to target another one of the above names, or a starting left fielder.
- The two year length is significant in that it takes pressure off the front office having to rush one of their top prospects up to the majors. By the time Hudson's deal is up, one or all of Kyle Crick, Chris Stratton and Clayton Blackburn should be ready to step up.
- Hudson is more than a bridge to the future though, and his arrival signals that the team understands their championship window is still wide open. The aggressive move early in free agency shows the Giants are not content with the roster it finished the 2013 season with, and view Hudson as a big part of recapturing the NL West crown.