Hudson understands Braves' changes, vision for future
ATLANTA -- When Tim Hudson peers over at the Braves dugout, he has to be asking himself "Who are these guys?"
The right-hander spent nine seasons in Atlanta, and was the Opening Day starter in 2013, when the franchise won its last division title. Just three players who were in the lineup with Hudson that day -- Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons -- remain, along with his rotation mate, Julio Teheran.
"There's been a little bit of (turnover) over there, since even last year," Hudson said. "That's baseball."
In his second season with the Giants and 17th in the majors, the 40-year-old placed on the disabled list last Friday to make room for recently acquired Mike Leake.
The game's active leader with 220 wins, the organization officially lists him with a right shoulder strain, but when asked by local reporters before the team's announcement what body part would put him on the DL, Hudson quipped "pick one."
Last season, Hudson earned his first All-Star appearance since 2010 and won his first World Series, appearing in two games vs. the Royals, including 1 2/3 innings in Game 7.
Things have worked out for Hudson after he he suffered a gruesome ankle injury on July 24, 2013 in New York as the Mets' Eric Young Jr. stepped on the pitcher while he was trying to cover first base.
But he admits that growing up a Braves fan, the Columbus, Ga., native and Alabama resident wished that he could have stayed in Atlanta.
"Obviously after playing that long in Atlanta, it was a place that I would have loved to end my career," Hudson said.
With a return no guarantee the Braves offered a much smaller contract than the Giants at $23 million for two years. So Hudson left.
"There's never any hard feelings for what happened and the management for the decision they made and the route they wanted to go with me," he said. "I was 38 years old coming off a potentially career-ending ankle injury. I get it. I understand."
When Hudson looks at the changes the Braves have made since John Hart took over as president of baseball operations, -- trading the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton Evan Gattis and, most before last week's deadline, Alex Wood -- he sees the vision for the future.
"I understand what they're doing. They have some really good guys on this ball club that were very valuable on the trade market," he said. "When you trade a guy like Craig Kimbrel and guys like that you're going to get some knockout prospects and potential superstar players in a package like that."
Hudson also sees shades of something familiar: his Moneyball days in Oakland as the Braves had unloaded high-priced players and replaced them with youth.
"That was something when I was in Oakland that was something that they had always done," he said. "They weren't afraid to give their young prospects an opportunity to come up and play and I think that's something they may be going through right now."
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney
