To stay with Braves, Hudson says he'll take less pay

By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It's rare to hear a player openly state that he'll take less from his current team than from others, especially before negotiations have even begun.

That's what Braves pitcher Tim Hudson did last week, saying he would take a "hometown discount" -- less money to stay with the Braves than he could get on the open market.

His statement indicated a few things. First, Hudson knows the Braves have five other starters under contractual control, and don't feel obligated to compete with higher offers Hudson might receive if he becomes a free agent.

Braves starters led the majors with a 3.52 ERA, which included only seven late-season starts from Hudson after returning from elbow surgery.

"They don't have to bring me back to have a good starting rotation, and I understand that," he said.

Second, it's convenient for the former Auburn star to stay with the Braves. He and his wife, Kim, have a thriving charitable foundation here, and their family is moving into a home in Auburn that has taken years to complete.

Last -- but Hudson wants it made clear it's not least -- he feels strongly about the direction the Braves have gone, after making trades and a late run to get within two games of the wild-card lead in the last week of the season.

"I see where we're heading and the chances of being really good around here," he said. "It makes me want to be part of it."

The Braves hold a $12 million option on his contract for 2010 and have until five days after the World Series to exercise it or pay a $1 million buyout and make him a free agent. General manager Frank Wren wouldn't comment on plans for Hudson.

Negotiations hadn't begun by week's end, but Hudson said that wasn't surprising given the situation the Braves had to discuss at last week's organizational meetings in Orlando, including their pitching surplus.

They might trade a veteran starter -- Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez or Kenshin Kawakami -- to open a spot for Hudson. Vazquez is the one who could bring in return the power hitter the Braves seek, but they're reluctant to trade the affordable ace.

Hudson could still reject the option if it's picked up. He wants a multi-year extension, which is where "discount" comes in. Such a deal might be worth $8-10 million annually.

He's 34 and went 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in his late-season stint, leaving his record at 148-78 with a 3.49 ERA, including 56-39 with a 3.77 ERA in 127 starts for the Braves.

"I'm at the point of my career now that I'm not going to play just to play," Hudson said. "You want to win a championship. That's something that I haven't accomplished, and I think we have just as good a chance as anybody to win here."

Once a 24-year-old 20-game winner at Oakland, he's an elder statesman on a team with 23-year-old starters Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson.

"You have great young pitching here," Hudson said. "I mean not just good young pitching -- great young pitching."

Braves attendance down

Attendance at Turner Field declined 7.7 percent to 2,373,631 for 2009, and overall major league attendance was down 6.7 percent. Nine teams had declines of at least 15 percent.

Braves attendance declined for a second consecutive year. They ranked 10th among 16 NL teams in home attendance in both 2008 and ‘09.

The biggest drop was the Mets' 22-percent decline at new Citi Field.

TV ratings rise

Meanwhile, the Braves had the fifth-highest local TV ratings increase in the majors. SportsBusiness Journal reported a 35-percent increase from 2008 on SportsSouth and Fox Sports South.

The Braves were 14th among 30 teams in local ratings. The top three were the Boston (by a wide margin), St. Louis and Philadelphia.