PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A day after Pirates GM Ben Cherington said he would start adding for this year’s club following the trades. He did that, even if in a small way.
Bucs signed 29-year-old catcher Joe Hudson to a minor league contract and invited him to big league camp.
The righty-hitter went 3 of 17 during nine games with the Mariners last season. He’s spread out his 18 career MLB games between Seattle, St. Louis in 2019 and the Angels in 2018. The totals are 30 at bats with 5 hits and a RBI. Defensively, never made an error in his 95 innings.
The former Notre Dame stand out was a sixth round pick of the Reds in 2012 and if it worked out, he wouldn’t be arbitration eligible until 2024 and a free agent until 2027.
Hudson was a mostly low-average, low-power hitter for his minor-league career. He did hit .311 in 26 games in the Pacific Coast League in 2018 with three homers and 14 RBI. His last full year in AAA, Hudson played 60 games in the PCL in 2019 hitting .223 with 10 HR and 30 RBI with a .293 OBP.