With less than 24 hours remaining until the MLB trade deadline on Friday afternoon, the expectation remains the Los Angeles Dodgers will make at least one move to address their pitching staff.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently acknowledged the team’s focus for the deadline was on pitching — both for the starting rotation and bullpen. With that, L.A. has been connected to the likes of José Berríos, Ian Kennedy, Craig Kimbrel, Germán Márquez and Max Scherzer.
The Washington Nationals have already traded Brad Hand to the Toronto Blue Jays, and in addition to Scherzer, could look to move other players as well. Trea Turner has most prominently been mentioned as a trade candidate.
However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Dodgers’ interest in trading for Scherzer could expand to include Daniel Hudson:
In addition to Max Scherzer, the Dodgers have interest in Nationals reliever Daniel Hudson, sources tell @TheAthletic. A bigger deal would appear possible, but obviously nothing is close with Scherzer starting today in D.C.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2021
The Dodgers acquiring Hudson in a trade would mark a reunion as the veteran relief pitcher previously signed a Minor League contract with the team in 2018. Hudson went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in his lone season with the Dodgers.
He pitched better than statistics would suggest and became a trusted option for manager Dave Roberts in high-leverage situations.
Hudson went on to sign a Minor League contract with the L.A. Angels and received a non-roster invite to 2019 Spring Training. He was released prior to Opening Day and went on to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays, but was traded to the Nationals that July.
Like Scherzer, Hudson is due to become a free agent after the 2021 regular season.
Dodgers, Giants competing for trades
In addition to playing each other in the finale of a three-game series at Oracle Park on Thursday, the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are also believed to be the top teams in contention to acquire Scherzer.
Though, that changed in some regard amid reports late in the afternoon that the San Diego Padres were nearing completion of a trade for the future Hall of Famer.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
