The Los Angeles Dodgers are picking up right-hander Daniel Hudson's $6.5 million option for the 2023 season; sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Thursday.
In June, the 35-year-old Hudson suffered a season-ending torn left ACL when his knee buckled while reacting to a ground ball. The team's top setup reliever had five saves and a 2.22 ERA at the time of the injury, and his goal is to be ready for spring training.
Hudson returns for a second consecutive season in L.A. (third overall) after signing a one-year guarantee last winter. That deal paid the veteran a $6MM salary for this season and came with a $6.5MM option or a $1MM buyout for next year. That left the Dodgers with a $5.5MM decision based on Hudson’s performance this year. The 35-year-old looked well on his way to making that an easy call, dominating opposing hitters for the first two and a half months.
According to Roster Resource. there’s plenty of payroll flexibility for the Dodgers, as Hudson’s deal only brings the club shy of $98MM in guaranteed player commitments for next season.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported the ’24 option could max out at $6.5MM based on next season’s appearance total.
Daniel Hudson was part of the World Championship 2019 Washington Nationals.