Dodgers' loss is Brewers' gain as Bryan Hudson produces all-star-caliber season

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t gotten much wrong in the last decade or so.

But sometime this weekend they’ll get an up-close look at one of their bigger personnel misses in recent memory when Bryan Hudson takes the mound at Dodger Stadium for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The left-handed Hudson, 27, is a late bloomer who last offseason sat on the fringes of the Dodgers' 40-man roster. When they signed Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract just after Christmas, it was Hudson who ended up as the odd man out.

Los Angeles, needing a roster spot, designated Hudson for assignment.

"It's just part of the business," Hudson said recently. "When they got rid of me, it was for a $300 million guy. I can't necessarily be mad at that."

Milwaukee – always on the hunt for projectable arms – sent 2023 20th-round pick Justin Chambers to the Dodgers in exchange for Hudson, the 2015 third-round pick of the Chicago Cubs.

And both the Brewers and Hudson couldn't be happier with how things have turned out.

Entering Thursday, Hudson sported a 4-0 record, 0.99 ERA (first among National League relievers) and microscopic WHIP of 0.66 (also first). Hudson also had registered a team-leading 11 holds, led Milwaukee’s relievers with 52 strikeouts (fourth in the NL) in 45⅓ innings (fifth) over 30 appearances and was limiting opposing batters to a collective .132 average (first).

Hudson was also unscored upon in 26 of his 30 appearances and had gone at least two innings 12 times, posting a 0.35 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 25⅔ innings over that span.

Think the Dodgers would like a re-do? Without a doubt, even though their bullpen still ranks as one of the best in baseball.

"I had a really good relationship with the front office, a lot of the coaches, managers and that kind of stuff," Hudson said. "I still talk to some of them. They don't necessarily say (they wish they hadn't let go) to me, but through my agent they'll say that kind of stuff.

"They're really good people over there. They tell me, 'Keep going, keep pushing.' They don't say straight up they messed up, but they they've mentioned it on a friendly basis.

"That makes me feel good."

Despite tough beginning, Hudson progressed in Dodgers organization

In fairness to Los Angeles, there was no way to predict Hudson would blossom as he has. In four stints with the Dodgers in 2023 (his first in the majors), he logged a 7.27 ERA and WHIP of 1.85 over six appearances (8⅔ innings) while bouncing back and forth from Class AAA Oklahoma City.

"With who I got called up for and all the injuries, I kind of knew I was going to be on that train up and down," Hudson said. "I know in that organization you're very expendable. Being comfortable on the mound and with the guys behind you is a big part of how you perform out there, and I just wasn't comfortable.

"There's a lot of factors. The crowd, first time in the big leagues, being in L.A., going back and forth with the travel. I didn't ever get comfortable up there.

"So, it was tough."

But Hudson, who still has two minor-league options remaining, had taken a noticeable step forward at Oklahoma City, and by the end of the season had posted a 5-2 record, 2.43 ERA and WHIP of 1.31 over 46 appearances (eight starts). His strikeouts also had ticked up noticeably, with 86 in 55⅔ innings for a career-best rate of 13.9 per nine innings.

He credits the Dodgers with helping him taking the step forward in his career after mostly spinning his wheels in the Cubs organization. Hudson twice reached as high as Class AAA Iowa but never broke through to the majors.

"When I signed with the Dodgers, I wasn't very comfortable with my mechanics," he said. "I just felt like I was doing something different every day. So, I went out there early (for spring training) and we kind of dialed in some stuff, did some drills, and I think it just really helped sync everything up.

"I just kept doing it for so long, it became second nature. I was always working to get synced up with my mechanics – especially with me being taller (at 6-foot-8, Hudson is tied as the tallest player in Brewers history). That's a big factor when you're trying to be consistent in the strike zone."

Hudson's performance worthy of all-star consideration

Hudson earned kudos from Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook for reporting to Maryvale early this spring with an eye on improving even further. Working with Milwaukee's brain trust, Hudson did so, fine-tuning his mechanics while also focusing on pitch sequencing.

What they came up with certainly is working. Throwing his four-seamer (53%), sweeper (25.7%) and a cutter (21.3%) he added to his repertoire just last July, Hudson is dominating hitters despite throwing in the low 90s (91.7 mph average fastball).

Hudson's 98th percentile extension and somewhat unorthodox delivery have been big weapons, and batters rarely square him up when they are able to get bat on ball (85th percentile barrel percentage, 77% hard-hit percentage).

"There's a unique delivery there, and I think conviction and command are also in there," Hook said. "The consistency and availability are big. But he's in the strike zone. He attacks hitters, and he's in control."

Hudson's ability to pitch multiple innings makes him a unique weapon, although manager Pat Murphy divulged recently that he is being especially mindful of his workload moving forward. He's thrown as many as 124⅓ innings in a season, but that was early in his career when he was still being tried by the Cubs as a starter.

His season high since moving to relief is 59 innings in 2022, a number Hudson is well on his way to topping.

"As far as the arm goes, I feel good," Hudson said. "Just normal aches day in and day out, but working around them."

For most players, the all-star break is a much-anticipated target to gain some needed rest. Hudson certainly could benefit, although his numbers merit consideration for inclusion in the midsummer classic.

Generally, the only relievers who are named tend to be closers. Hudson doesn't have a save. Trevor Megill, the Brewers' de facto closer with Devin Williams sidelined, would also appear to have a case with a 1.59 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 18 saves in 19 opportunities

"I think you've seen a guy that is different than some relievers, is a multiple-inning guy with availability and consistency over the course of this first half," Hook said. "I think he deserves to be mentioned in that and his numbers would stack up to anybody in the role that he's been given."

Hudson – who at times still seems as though he's pinching himself with regard to the results he's produced – is steering clear of that type of talk even though it's becoming more prevalent with each successful outing.

"It's something you can't really get around," he said. "It's being talked about on TV. You open up a social site and it's being mentioned on there. So, it's something I'm aware of. But once I get out there I kind of cross all that off.

"I'm very grateful to be here and I know how quickly it can be taken away. So, when it comes to stuff like that, it's not in my mind whenever I go out on the field.

"It definitely makes you feel good, but I'm not getting caught up in that kind of stuff because there's still work to do. I'm a young guy that's still expendable."

Probably not for the Brewers. But definitely for the Dodgers.

"I'm super grateful for my time there," Hudson said. "They kind of helped me get to where I am, in a sense. But, yeah, I want to go beat them."