Pirates Ink Hudson to Two-Year Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates added to the back end of their bullpen yesterday when they signed veteran set-up man Daniel Hudson to a two-year 11 million dollar contract. Hudson has had two Tommy John Surgeries and is looking for a bounce back year in 2017.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been looking to add to their pitching staff all off-season long as both starting pitching and relief pitching are a big need for this team. The Pirates addressed some of the relief questions when they signed veteran Daniel Hudson to a two-year 11-Million dollar contract yesterday adding to the back end of their bullpen.

Hudson pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season going 3-2 with a 5.22 ERA while striking out 58 and walking 22 in 60.1 innings of work. Hudson missed all of the 2013 season and most of the 2014 season after going through two Tommy John surgeries and he has been trying to fight back ever since. Once a top starter for the Diamondbacks, Hudson has had to move to the bullpen following his injuries and he is looking for a new start to his career.

Hudson features a fastball in the upper 90's that he uses effectively to mix in with his off-speed stuff. His average fast ball velocity a season ago was 96.44 mph which would fit nicely between Felipe Rivero and Tony Watson in the back end of the Pirates bullpen. With Hudson, you get a veteran pitcher who is looking to return to form following a couple of down years due to injuries.

One thing I really like about Hudson is his strikeout numbers. He struck out 58 batters in just over 60 innings of work last season and had a K/9 ratio of 8.65. Hudson will more than likely slide into the eighth inning role that Watson held and will use his fastball to get some key outs late in ball games, much like Neftali Feliz did last season for the Pirates. Hudson's walk numbers are a little higher than you would like to see from your set-up man with 22 in 60 innings of work, but Ray Searage will get a chance to work with Hudson and try to bring back his electric stuff that we saw in the 2011 season when he went 16-12 as a starting pitcher.

Another thing I like from Hudson is his passion for the game. This is something that cannot be measured by a stat sheet or a scorecard, but is essential for every good baseball team. When Mark Melancon started as the Pirates closer, you didnt see any big fist pumps or excited yells when he got outs. However, as he continued to close games for the Pirates that passion and excitement got higher and higher and now you see him yell in excitement every time he closes a game.

This fire is something you love to see, especially in the back end of the bullpen. It fires both the fan base up and the players around you. In watching videos of Hudson pitch, he wears his emotion on his sleeve and and gets fired up when he gets big outs. This passion will be a welcome addition to the Pirates bullpen and can light a fire under not only the pitching staff but the offense as well.

With Tony Watson scheduled to be the Pirates closer in 2017, Daniel Hudson will be the guy who comes in in the eighth inning to set up for Watson. However, if Watson does struggle as the closer, Hudson is a guy who can step in and take over the reigns as the Pirates closer. Watson only has one more year on his contract left and if the Pirates feel that they have to let him go, Hudson could step in and close in 2018 for the Pirates as well.

I personally love the addition of Hudson as it adds another strong arm to the back end of the Pirates bullpen. With a starting staff that is projected to be very young this season, it will be essential for the bullpen to perform at the highest level possible. The Pirates are trying to shorten the game with a reliable back end of the bullpen of Rivero-Hudson-Watson to give the starting pitching more of a cushion. Only time will tell if it plays out as planned, but for now the shark tank welcomes another big arm to feast on opposing batters.

Could the Pirates Make a Push for Jered Weaver?

With the Christmas Season fast approaching the Pittsburgh Pirates still have some things they need to check off their list before the 2017 season begins. One of those things is their need to sign a veteran starting pitcher and, in a thin market, Jered Weaver could be the answer for the Pirates.

With the winter meetings done and over with and all of the Andrew McCutchen trade rumors dying down, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have a lot of work to do before the 2017 Major League Baseball season begins. They need to replenish their bench with the losses of Matt Joyce and Sean Rodriguez and bullpen help would be a big boost for this team as well.

However, the biggest need facing the Pirates this off-season is their lack of veteran presence in the starting rotation. If the season were to begin today, the Pirates rotation would consist of Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, and a battle between Tyler Glasnow, Wade LeBlanc, Steven Brault, Drew Hutchison, and Trevor Williams for the final two spots in the rotation. Looking at those names the only player above the age of 26 is LeBlanc and he along with Cole are the only two to have more than one year of MLB experience.

While having the young talent and the fresh arms is nice, there is no one in this rotation who has experience pitching deep into the post-season like the Pirates are aiming to do. Taking a look at the free agent market, there are not many top notch free agent options and the Pirates are not a team that is going to swing a block buster trade. That leaves them to look at the second tier starters and there are some intriguing names on the list.

Earlier in the off-season I made the case that the Pirates need to re-sign free agent starting pitcher Ivan Nova. Nova is still on the market as of now and the Pirates have expressed interest in him but, if they are not able to strike a deal with Nova that is team friendly, another name that jumps out for me is right handed pitcher and free agent Jered Weaver.

Weaver is coming off an average year for the Los Angeles Angels where he went 12-12 with a 5.06 ERA while striking out 103 and walking 51 in his 178 innings of work. Weaver is a ten year major league veteran and pitched the Angels all the way to the playoffs four times including three straight seasons from 2007-2009. Weaver is entering his age 35 season and has not pitched for any other team besides the Angels throughout his career.

Weaver has a track record of success, but has hit a bump in the road these last two seasons. He has seen his ERA jump all the way to 5.06 last season, which was the highest mark of his career, and his strikeout numbers have been down over the last two seasons. However, he has kept his good control that has been a staple of his career as he only walked 51 batters in 178 innings of work last season. 

This control is something that pitching coach Ray Searage can work with and hopefully get Weaver back to his dominant nature that he possessed for so many years with the Angels. He is a three time all-star and finished in the top ten in ERA in all of MLB from 2009-2012 and in 2014 as well. Weaver's struggles in 2016 were partially due to injuries he suffered throughout the season as he ended the 2016 season with lower back tightness pulling him from his final start of the year.

One of the positives when looking at Weaver is that his strikeouts were still up last year despite some struggles. Weaver was able to strike out 103 batters in 178 innings of work for a K/9 of 5.21. His 103 strikeouts would have been third on the team behind Juan Nicasio, 138, and former Pirate Francisco Liriano, 116. The strikeouts would be a welcome addition to the rotation and Weaver would fit quite nicely in between Cole and Taillon at the top of the Pirates rotation.

Weaver has also been very consistent in terms of ERA throughout his career. Last season was the only year in Weaver's 11 year career that his ERA was over 5.00 and he has only had two other seasons when his ERA was above 4.00. Weaver is a pitcher who has had a lot of success throughout his major league career and could help the Pirates out tremendously in 2017.

When the Pirates brought in AJ Burnett back in the 2011 season, he was able to help a young rotation finish the season strong and then come back and compete in 2012. James McDonald, the Pirates young phenom at the time, saw his numbers increase so much that he became an all-star in the 2012 season. Jered Weaver could have the same effect on this year's team guiding and mentoring the young Pirates pitchers to success this year and beyond.

If the Pirates could swing a two year deal of about 14-16 million dollars for Weaver it would be a deal that needs to be done. Weaver would add a veteran presence and proven success to the Pirates rotation. And, as we have seen in the past, Ray Searage knows how to work his magic and turn pitchers who have had down years into perennial all-stars the next season. In the season of giving, I feel the Pirates should give Weaver a chance to shine in a Pirates uniform.