| Movie Finder |
ATLANTA - Tim Hudson agreed to a $28 million, three-year contract with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, giving the team a wealth of starting pitching and setting up a likely trade to bolster the offense.
Hudson could have returned to the Braves under a $12 million option, but the sides focused on a longer deal after the right-hander showed he had overcome major elbow surgery.
His new deal calls for salaries of $9 million in each of the next three seasons, and the Braves get a $9 million club option for 2013 with a $1 million buyout. If Hudson pitches at least 600 innings over the next three seasons, he would receive a $500,000 bonus after the 2012 season.
The 34-year-old grew up in neighboring Alabama and said all along he was willing to give the Braves a discount to remain close to home. The agreement was reached quickly after the team completed its postseason organizational meetings.
| Movie Finder |
The pitcher said it actually took longer to schedule a physical and set up insurance for the new contract than the actual negotiations.
"I did all I could do to get healthy and show them they could have confidence in me," said Hudson, who returned to start seven games late in the season after missing a full year. "They came to me with an opening offer than was more than fair. They showed me they really wanted to get something done, as did I."
The Braves now have six starters under contract for next season: Hudson, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami.
Jurrjens (14-10, 2.60 ERA) and Hanson (11-4, 2.89), both 23, are the long-term cornerstones of the staff and Vazquez is coming off one of the best seasons (15-10, 2.87) of his career. Vazquez, who is heading into the final year of his contract, might be the most attractive pitcher in a trade since Lowe (15-10, 4.67) and Kawakami (7-12, 3.86) are both in the middle of expensive, long-term deals.