A period of pronounced change continued Monday for the Braves, who lost pitcher Tim Hudson to San Francisco after the free agent and the Giants agreed to a two-year, $23 million contract.
After nine seasons in Atlanta, the Alabama native is returning to the Bay Area, where Hudson spent the first six years of his major league career with Oakland, including a 20-win season in 2000.
The deal was finalized after Hudson, 38, passed a physical on Monday in San Francisco, and was announced on Tuesday. The Braves had hoped to re-sign the three-time former All-Star, who has 205 career wins.
The sinkerballer drew interest from about 10 major league teams, and received offers greater than he’d anticipated after going 8-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 21 starts in 2013 and having his season ended by a gruesome broken ankle July 24.
Hudson made $9 million in 2013 in the option year of an extension he signed prior to the 2010 season, the same amount as his salaries in the first years of the deal. He had 16 or more wins in each of the first three seasons of that contract, including 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA in 2010 in his first full season after returning from Tommy John elbow surgery.
The Braves made an initial one-year offer for significantly less than he made in 2013, then increased that to a two-year proposal in the past week. But the dollars weren’t comparable to what San Francisco offered to bring the right-hander back across the country.
“The Braves made a really good push (with the increased offer),” Hudson said. “They did the best they could. Frank (Wren, general manager) was great.”
Hudson is one of only three active pitchers with at least 200 wins, along with CC Sabathia (205) and Roy Halladay (203), and his .649 winning percentage is third-best among active pitchers behind Halladay (.659) and Jered Weaver (.653)
Hudson’s exit from the Braves came seven days after the team announced it would move from downtown Atlanta north to Cobb County in 2017 to play in a stadium it plans to build at the I-75 and I-285 interchange.
A former Auburn standout, Hudson was a Braves team leader and one of the most respected and popular players both in the clubhouse and among fans. He had hoped to finish his career in Atlanta, where he and his family have deep roots. Hudson and his wife, Kim, run a charitable foundation that’s among the region’s most active.
The Giants already had re-signed their free-agent pitcher Tim Lincecum to a two-year, $35 million contract that was far more than anyone expected the recently mediocre Lincecum would get. Hudson and Lincecum are likely to fill the rotation spots behind Giants returners Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain, with the fifth starter to be determined.
Wren had hoped to retain Hudson, who won 113 games in nine seasons with the Braves, despite several serious injuries. The Braves thought he could continue as a middle-rotation starter and strong, stabilizing presence for their otherwise young rotation.
After going 0-3 with an 8.69 ERA in a four-start period in May, Hudson was 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA and .224 opponents’ average in his last 10 starts before breaking his fibula when he was inadvertently stepped on by Mets base runner Eric Young while covering first base on a grounder.
His 1.188 WHIP (walks-plus-hits per inning pitched) in 2013 was lower than his 1.233 career WHIP, and Hudson had two of his best marks in that category in 2010 (1.150) and 2011 (1.140).
He went 16-8 with a 3.62 ERA in 28 starts in 2012, after missing the first month of the season recovering from spinal fusion surgery.
As things stand, the Braves have a strong, if young, rotation led by returners Kris Medlen, Julio Teheran, Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy, who’s expected to be recovered from September arthroscopic elbow surgery for spring training. The Braves characterized that as a “cleaning out” procedure following Beachy’s Tommy John surgery in June 2012.
Wren said they plan to have left-hander Alex Wood work as a starter in spring training, after he impressed both as a starter and reliever as a rookie following a mid-season callup. The Braves also have rookie David Hale, who was outstanding in two September starts.
They still might try to acquire a more experienced pitcher for a veteran presence in the rotation.
