In 2008, the Chicago White Sox drafted Daniel Hudson in the fifth round. Later, he was traded in 2010 to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson, due to his poor pitching that season. After, several rocky years in Arizona, inconsistency as a Pittsburgh Pirate, and still struggling with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Finally, Hudson had a year that involved winning the World Series and improving significantly. With an already impressive offseason, signing Hudson would make the White Sox complete.
Even though he was traded once again, Hudson had a great year with the Toronto Blue Jays and the 2019 World Series champions the Washington Nationals. In Toronto, he had a 3.00 ERA which was as great of an outing from him as has been seen in a while. The year before, Hudson was not as efficient and had a 4.11 ERA. The most important aspect of his progression in recent years is the great potential he has demonstrated on the mound.
Throughout his career, Hudson has had some trying times but is now considered a pitcher a ballclub can depend on. Last season, Hudson put up his best numbers since leaving the South Side for Arizona in 2010. He had an ERA of 2.49 and totaled eight saves in 2019. Hudson also became an important factor in the postseason with the Nationals and recorded the final out to win a championship for a truly storybook moment in his career.
Besides Alex Colome, the White Sox’s bullpen is quite thin. Left-hand reliever Jace Fry served as a disappointment last season with an ERA of 4.75. The problem with Fry was his inability to stop feeding batters pitches they can square up and make it difficult for the White Sox to stay competitive in close games. In the month of August, Fry had a 10.24 ERA. Last season, right-hander Kelvin Herrera finished with a 6.14 ERA, also struggling coming out of the bullpen after signing with the team before the start of the season.
The Chicago White Sox has to have arms in the bullpen to protect leads for hopes of making the postseason. Hudson could also be a veteran the other guys can learn from since he has experienced both failure and success if he returns to the White Sox. It would be in the front office’s best interest to sign Hudson since he has matured as a pitcher because he can now be relied on.