Daniel Hudson

On February 9, 2019, Hudson signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. He was released on March 22, and signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on March 25. Hudson finished his stint with the Blue Jays accumulating a 6–3 record with 2 saves and a 3.00 ERA in 45 games (1 start).

On July 31, 2019, the Blue Jays traded Hudson to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Kyle Johnston. With the Nationals in 2019, he was 3-0 with six saves and a 1.44 ERA in 24 relief appearances (25 innings). Between the Blue Jays and the Nationals combined in 2019, he was 9-3 with eight saves and a 2.47 ERA in 69 games (one start) covering 73.0 innings.

Hudson missed Game 1 of the 2019 National League Championship Series to be with his wife in Scottsdale, Arizona, to witness the birth of their third daughter. Hudson was on the mound when the Nationals won the 2019 World Series. On October 30, 2019 he pitched the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, striking out two of the three batters he faced (José Altuve and Michael Brantley) to close out a 6-2 victory as the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros to win the 2019 World Series championship. He signed a two-year, $11 million contract to stay with the Nationals on January 6, 2020.

On February 22, 2018, the Pirates traded Hudson, Tristan Gray, and cash considerations to the Tampa Bay Rays for Corey Dickerson. However, the Rays released him on March 28.

On April 2, 2018, Hudson signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made the Dodgers major league roster and pitched in 40 games for them (with one start) and was 3–2 with a 4.11 ERA in 46 innings, before missing the last month of the season with an arm injury.

On December 21, 2016, Hudson signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the 2017 season, Hudson appeared in 71 games for the Pirates, compiling a 2–7 record and a 4.38 ERA.

Nearly two years after surgery, Hudson returned as a reliever late into the 2014 season. He pitched in three games, totaling ​2  ⁄3 innings.

After starting the 2010 season in the minors, Hudson was called up on July 11, 2010, to replace Jake Peavy, who was out for the season with a torn right latissimus dorsi muscle.

On July 30, 2010, the White Sox traded Hudson and minor league pitcher David Holmberg to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson. He was 7–1 with a 1.69 ERA with the Diamondbacks that season. Hudson finished the 2011 season 16–12, with a 3.49 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 222.0 innings pitched. He also hit .277/.309/.369 and had 14 RBI and 1 home run as a batter. He helped lead the team to an NL West division title and won the 2011 pitching Silver Slugger as the best batter at his position. On July 9, 2012, Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery which eliminated him for the remainder of the 2012 season. Hudson began the 2013 season on the 60-day disabled list still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he previously had. In a rehab start with the Double-A Mobile BayBears on June 4, 2013, Hudson re-tore his ulnar collateral ligament. Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time of his career on June 18, 2013, which shut him down for the entire 2013 season. After the season, Hudson was non-tendered by Arizona, becoming a free agent. It was rumored that Hudson still wanted to return to the Diamondbacks and on December 13, 2013, Hudson signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks.

About half of Hudson's pitches are four-seamers. He also uses the two-seamer and changeup against left-handers, while using all of them against right-handers. The two-seamer and cutter tend to be used earlier in the count to get ahead, while the slider and changeup are often used in 2-strike counts. Hudson featured an occasional curveball early in his career, but he has not thrown the pitch since 2010.

Hudson began the 2009 minor league season at Low-A level, with the Kannapolis Intimidators. After posting a 1.23 ERA in four starts, Hudson was promoted to the Winston-Salem Dash, the Sox Advanced-A team. After 8 starts and a 3.40 ERA in Winston-Salem, Hudson was once again on the move up, this time to the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Hudson's rapid rise through the White Sox minor league system continued in Birmingham, where he posted a record of 7–0, with a minuscule 1.60 ERA. After nine starts at Double-A level, Hudson was promoted to Triple-A. With the Charlotte Knights Hudson went 2–0 with an ERA of 3.00 in five starts.

Hudson attended Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he played college baseball for the Old Dominion Monarchs. While at Princess Anne, Hudson led the Cavaliers to the 2005 state championship. In 2007, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Hudson finished his collegiate career second all-time in strikeouts with 295 (Justin Verlander is first all-time), sixth in games started with 40 and seventh in innings pitched with 292. He posted a win–loss record of 20–14, and had a 3.79 earned run average.

Daniel Claiborne Hudson (born March 9, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut for the White Sox in 2009, and has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays. Hudson was on the mound when the Nationals won the 2019 World Series.

The Chicago White Sox selected Hudson in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. For the remainder of the 2008 season he was assigned to the White Sox rookie-level affiliate, the Great Falls Voyagers, where he posted a W–L record of 5–4 and an ERA of 3.36 in 14 starts. He struck out 90 batters in 69 2/3 innings.