Tim Hudson holds a special place in most Braves' fans hearts. He was acquired from Oakland in the winter of 2004 for Charles Thomas, who burst onto the scene in 2004 and gave the Braves a solid left field platoon with Eli Marrero and Dewayne Wise, Juan Cruz, who was a bright spot in a bullpen of retreads (and John Smoltz), and top prospect Dan Meyer, who is coming into his own...as a reliever...4 years after the trade. It ended up being a pittance for Hudson, who would serve as the Braves #2 behind John Smoltz, who was hopping back into the rotation. Hudson was nearly immediately given a 4 year contract extension with an option for 2010. Hudson's first season in Atlanta was adequate, as he posted numbers a little above the league average, but below his career numbers. Despite the mild disappointment of Hudson, the Braves still scraped and clawed their way to 90 wins, and an improbable division title, the final one in THE STREAK.

The 2006 season was a mess from the word go, and Hudson was a reason why, posting an ERA of nearly 5 with a FIP of 4.55. All of his other "bad" peripherals increased, while the "good" ones stayed constant or decreased. Of course, Hudson wasn't the only one to blame in this mess (the main culprit was probably the quintet of Davies, Thomson, Sosa, Cormier and Ramirez getting 65 starts), but he was a factor. A year into the contract, it looked like a mistake.

2007 rolled along, and Hudson rebounded to a great degree. His FIP was 3.46, just a fraction away from his career low. Hudson definitely wasn't to blame this time around...yet again, the issue was the rest of the rotation (minus Smoltz, and James to an extent). The bullpen was a horrorshow except for Moylan and Soriano. Hudson started the 2007 season with 9 (yes, NINE) straight quality starts, pitching in 7 or more innings in all but one, and the combination of the bullpen and his offense only gave him 5 wins. I'm sure we all remember the Santana vs Hudson duel in June, where Hudson and Soriano combined to allow 3 baserunners in 8 innings, only for THE WICK MAN to allow 4 in 1/3 of an inning to end the game. Depressing times.

After the success of 2007, we all expected big things from Tim in 2008. By the end of July, he had a FIP right around his career average, and the second lowest WHIP of his career. But I'll remember the night of July 23rd like it was yesterday. Hudson was dominating the Marlins through 6 innings, and then got pulled after throwing only 68 pitches. The Braves were up 5-0 at the time and looked to be in the zone offensively, so we figured it was just something to save his arm. Then the report came across the air that he had some forearm tightness. Hudson assumed it was because he was throwing more splitters. Then a couple days later...the news dropped. The 2 words we didn't wanna hear...we heard. "Tommy. John" It was a crushing blow to the season. The Braves were in 4th place, but only 6 games out. John Smoltz was already out for the season, but Hudson too? We all knew it was over. 6 days later, Mark Teixeira was sent to the Angels. Jojo Reyes, Charlie Morton, and Mike Hampton fell apart behind Jair Jurrjens and Jorge Campillo. The Braves lost 90 games, and the lack of Hudson was a primary reason why.

So now, 2009 is upon us. Hudson is recovering from his Tommy John, and is scheduled to throw off a mound this week. With some luck, he could be pitching again by August. Theres only one problem. The rotation is full. Frank Wren went on a spending spree this offseason, acquiring Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, and Kenshin Kawakami to pitch alongside Jair Jurrjens and the rotating number 5 spot, about to be occupied by Kris Medlen. Tom Glavine is also on his way back, and could conceivably be ready to be pitching in mid-June, which would necessitate a move, likely the demotion of Medlen. But when Hudson comes back, assuming no one else gets hurt, what do you do? Lowe, Vazquez and Jurrjens have been absolute dynamite this season and won't be going anywhere. Kawakami has had some rough starts, but has his moments. The 5 spot however, has been an absolute disaster. If Medlen or Glavine can't hold down the fort, you would imagine that Hudson would slot into that role. But what if his arm strength isn't fully back? The bullpen, which has been much maligned this week, would be his likely landing spot.

And then, the 2010 option comes to the forefront. The Braves have said they plan on exercising the option, and it is doubtful Hudson would choose to opt out, since there is next to no way he could get as much money on the market as the option would give him. For Hudson to be in the rotation in 2010, a move will need to be made. The 5 spot in the rotation will likely be occupied by uber-prospect Tommy Hanson. Medlen will most likely either be traded or slotted into the bullpen. The other 4 members of the rotation are all under contract or control in 2010. What can the Braves do to give Tim Hudson a spot? It is unlikely that Lowe or Kawakami will be traded, due to their contracts. An idea being pitched around the blog lately is the trading of Jair Jurrjens, which seems laughable at first, but makes sense the more you think about it. I believe that it is unlikely that Jurrjens will be moved, though. That leaves the journeyman Javier Vazquez as the odd man out. Vazquez is posting the best numbers of his career this season, and could result in a key prospect or two in a trade. However, do the Braves feel that Hudson can provide production similar as to what Vazquez is doing this year? Another option is to move Kenshin Kawakami to the bullpen to take advantage of him not being used to pitching in a 5 man rotation. The Braves' decision about the Hudson situation is an interesting storyline to keep an eye on over the remainder of 2009 and into 2010.