Daniel Hudson’s trade value continues to sink for Diamondbacks
Jul 26, 2016, 9:42 PM | Updated: Jul 27, 2016, 11:28 am
Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Daniel Hudson reacts as he is pulled form the mound after giving up an RBI-single to Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon in the eighth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 23, 2016, in Denver. The Diamondbacks won 7-6. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Daniel Hudson and his expiring contract appeared to be a trade chip for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was a bright spot as the team sank heading into the end of June.
More than a month later, Hudson hasn’t retained that trade value as his individual season has gone the wrong direction.
Since June 21, Hudson’s ERA has swelled from 1.55 to 6.08. Of his last 12 appearances, the Diamondbacks’ eighth-inning reliever has shut out an opponent just four times and failed to last a full inning six times.
Reliever Daniel Hudson is likely staying put with #Dbacks at deadline. He's pitched so poorly, trade talks have ground to a halt.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 26, 2016
On Tuesday, Hudson entered as the D-backs were knotted with the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-4, in the eighth. He allowed a grounder up the middle to Hernan Perez and walked Ryan Braun before earning a strikeout following a visit to the mound from his pitching coach. But with one out, Hudson walked Chris Carter on four straight balls and then allowed a shallow blooper to Scooter Gennett that scored two runs, ending the reliever’s night.
Hudson’s line: 0.1 innings pitched, two hits, four earned runs allowed, two walks and a strikeout.
“I thought the ball was coming out of his hand better tonight,” Arizona manager Chip Hale told FOX Sports Arizona’s Jody Jackson. “He had some swing-and-miss stuff. It’s just the walks.”
Fellow reliever Zac Curtis inherited Hudson’s two runners and allowed them to score on Hudson’s tab before another run made it a 9-4 Brewers lead that would hold.
For Hudson, it was a similar story to past month of performances.
He’s recorded seven strikeouts to six walks and only in three of those 12 games has held opponents hitless.
Arizona has lost 10 of those 12 games, though nothing the D-backs have done of late can be blamed solely on one man.
“The walks are killing us right now,” Hale told FOX Sports Arizona, talking about his entire pitching staff.
The Diamondbacks are 8-20 since Hudson’s own season went south.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Hale planned to transition Hudson into a closer role to replace the traded Brad Ziegler. But for that to happen, the D-backs manager wanted Hudson to continue acting as a setup man until he found his groove from earlier in the season and last year.
He hasn’t — and in place of Ziegler, it’s been offseason acquisition Tyler Clippard taking over.
Clippard has not been immune to the pitching staff troubles, either. He was also mentioned as a potential trade chip but allowed three earned runs in each of his last two starts (Arizona has gone on to win each game by a run).
Arizona wasn’t expected to make a blockbuster move or blow up the roster by the trade deadline.
But with the value of their few trade chips falling with their record, the Diamondbacks look less capable than ever of making lower-end farm acquisitions before the August deadline.
