Hudson excited about new contract

By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Being home with his wife and children during baseball season is nice, but Tim Hudson said he never would have agreed to a three-year extension with the Braves if that were the only attraction.

"It's convenient from the family standpoint," the veteran pitcher said Thursday. "But I'm excited that I'm going to be with this organization for another three years because I think we have a chance to be really good.

"I'm excited about being able to help the organization get back to the position we used to be in, which is a championship club. To me, being part of that is more special than going through free agency and just going to the team I think has the best chance to win the World Series."

Terms were agreed to this week on a three-year extension believed to be worth close to $9 million annually. The deal won't be finalized until Hudson's surgically repaired elbow passes another MRI exam.

"It's all done," he said of contract details. "I'm assuming all the physical stuff went fine. Only thing I have to do is the MRI, which I'll probably do when I get back Sunday from [Adam] LaRoche's thing."

Hudson planned to fly to Fort Scott, Kansas, to attend LaRoche's hometown charity event. Hudson also took an opportunity to publicly lobby for the Braves to re-sign LaRoche, who is a free agent, pointing out the need for his strong defense at first base in addition to his slugging.

The Braves will not make an announcement or comment on the Hudson contract until the deal is official.

Hudson referred to the MRI as more of a formality. He has had other MRI exams this year and no setbacks since returning from a year-long rehabilitation following ligament-transplant surgery in August 2008.

He went 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in seven starts in September and October after coming off the disabled list.

The Braves made a strong second-half run to pull within two games of wild-card leader Colorado before losing their last six games. Hudson said he's confident the team is poised to be a contender for years.

"I think Frank [Wren, Braves general manager] is going to work really hard this offseason to get the necessary pieces we need to be a championship team again," he said.

With Hudson in the fold, the Braves will have a surplus of starting pitchers and likely step up efforts to trade one from the group of Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami.

Lowe might be the hardest to trade, with three years and $45 million left on his contract and after posting a 4.67 ERA with only 111 strikeouts in 194-2/3 innings.

Vazquez, who had one of the best seasons by any major league pitcher, is owed $11.5 million in 2010 before he can become a free agent. The Braves would prefer to keep him, but he might be the only one of the older pitchers they could trade for plenty in return.

The Braves want to add a right-handed power hitter, and Vazquez is attractive enough to possibly bring a power bat in return.

Regardless of trades, the Braves figure to have one of baseball's top rotations featuring Hudson, Jair Jurrjens and phenom Tommy Hanson.

Hudson is a former 20-game winner with a 148-78 record and 3.49 ERA in 11 seasons with the Braves and the Oakland Athletics. With the shortage of front-line starters in the free-agent class, he might have commanded a multi-year deal worth at least $10 million on the open market.

The Braves had a $12 million option on his contract for 2010, and Hudson had the right to veto the option. The Alabama native and former Auburn star said all along that he would give the Braves a "hometown discount" on an extension -- as long as the discount wasn't extreme.

Hudson had also said several times that he would strongly prefer a multi-year extension instead of the option.

"I was really optimistic about getting [a deal] done," said Hudson, a neighbor of Wren's in Peachtree City. "I'm just glad we were both able to get together and find a happy medium. My family's happy here."

The Hudsons are putting the finishing touches on a house they have built in Auburn, and they have a thriving charitable foundation in Atlanta.

Hudson said one thing that has him optimistic about his future is the improved shoulder strength, which he worked on like he had never done before while recovering from his surgery.

Pitchers recovering from the surgery are put on rigorous rehab programs to improve the strength of the shoulder and other muscles, in part to help ease the stress on the rebuilt elbow ligament.

"I want to show Braves fans, the Braves organization and my teammates that I'm going to be as good or better than I've ever been," Hudson said. "I feel like I have a new lease on life. I've got a new elbow, man, and my shoulder felt better than it had in about seven years."