In 2017, I watched Daniel Hudson struggle as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a 4.38 ERA in 71 games as a reliever for Pittsburgh, but it seemed much worse. When the offseason rolled around and the Pirates unloaded him, along with minor leaguer Tristan Gray and cash, onto the Tampa Bay Rays for Corey Dickerson, Pirates’ fans were ecstatic.
This seemed to be an obviously good move. In hindsight, it still is. Dickerson was good during his brief tenure in black and gold, but Hudson would ultimately be considered an effective reliever.