Padres swing deal for 2019 WS hero Hudson
AJ Cassavell
@AJCassavellSAN DIEGO -- The Padres and Nationals made a deal after all.
San Diego swung a trade for right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson, the club announced Thursday night.?It wasn¡¯t quite the Padres-Nats blockbuster that briefly dominated headlines in the afternoon.?(The Hudson?deal came hours after San Diego missed out on a potential trade for Washington ace Max Scherzer, who is expected to land with the Dodgers instead, per sources.)?But the Padres added a valuable bullpen arm with a World Series-winning pedigree nonetheless.
In exchange for Hudson, the Padres are sending right-hander Mason Thompson and infield prospect Jordy Barley to Washington. Thompson, a 23-year-old righty reliever who debuted this season, was ranked as San Diego's No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Barley, unranked, was hitting .240 at Low-A Lake Elsinore.
Thompson boasted some future upside, but Hudson is an immediate boost to an already excellent San Diego bullpen, with a 2.20 ERA this season and experience closing games during the 2019 World Series.
¡°Obviously, we¡¯re getting another winning piece in the back of the bullpen,¡± said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. ¡°He¡¯s been as good as anybody, honestly, since probably 2019. He¡¯s dominant. He¡¯s got a lot of power to his game. He¡¯s got a lot of experience, won a World Series. Just being able to add another winning, dynamic piece to our bullpen, I think that¡¯s going to help us out down the stretch for sure.¡±
It's unclear what role Hudson would fill in San Diego, but he'll undoubtedly pitch high-leverage innings alongside current closer Mark Melancon and left-hander Drew Pomeranz. Tingler made it sound as though Melancon¡¯s role as closer was safe for the time being.
Still, there are innings to go around. The Padres entered play Thursday with a Major League-leading 2.98 ERA. But come October, the club¡¯s philosophy is the more electric arms, the better.
In that regard, the Hudson trade is similar to the team¡¯s deal for Trevor Rosenthal at last year¡¯s Deadline. Like Rosenthal, Hudson only has this season remaining on his contract, making him purely a rental piece.
Hudson¡¯s arrival in San Diego might be a bit complicated, after he was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list Thursday. It¡¯s unclear whether Hudson tested positive or was a close contact, but in either case, his arrival could be delayed.
According to sources, the Hudson deal could be just the first in a frantic finish for the Padres, who still might acquire multiple starting pitchers and perhaps some bench help before Friday¡¯s 1 p.m. PT deadline.