When you get the final out of your team's first World Series win in franchise history, you can definitely expect to get taken care of. That's what the Washington Nationals did for reliever Daniel Hudson on Monday by signing him to a two-year contract to stay with the team. Hudson's contract is worth $11 million, but he can earn another $1 million on top of that in performance-related bonuses. This deal comes after he struck out Michael Brantley of the Houston Astros to clinch the World Series in October.
Hudson was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the July 31st Trade Deadline, and ended up being their most reliable arm out of the bullpen, which struggled for most of 2019. The 32-year-old ended up with six saves and a 1.44 ERA over 25 appearances for the curly "W." Having him coming out of the bullpen for an entire season, coming off a World Series win, will surely help stabilize that part of the Nationals' roster.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Nationals added some power by reaching a one-year deal with first baseman Eric Thames. The contract is worth $4 million for the former Milwaukee Brewer, who has plenty of power from the left-handed side of the plate. The 33-year-old finished with 25 home runs and 61 RBIs for the Brew-Crew last season, batting .247 for the season. He is expected to share time at first base with fellow veteran and the NLCS MVP last fall, Howie Kendrick, who was locked in on a one-year contract this winter.
In other minor notes around the majors, the Detroit Tigers have given starting pitcher Michael Fulmer a new one-year contract for $2.8 million, which was announced Monday. This contract comes after Fulmer missed all of last season following Tommy John Surgery, as the 28-year-old received the same contract he did one year ago. He has been hampered with injuries since winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2016 and winning 10 games in 2017. Once he is officially healthy, he is expected to be at the top of the Tigers' starting rotation.
And former Tiger shortstop Jose Iglesias has agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The 30-year-old was not tendered by the Cincinnati Reds in December, making him a free agent, as they are expected to go with Freddy Galvis as their starting shortstop. Iglesias did set career highs with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs a season ago, starting 144 games of the 146 games that he appeared in. He was also an All-Star with the Tigers in the 2015 season, and is a career .273 hitter with 32 home runs and 247 RBIs. The flashy player will be the starter at the position for Baltimore after they traded Jonathan Villar to the Miami Marlins in December.
Hudson was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the July 31st Trade Deadline, and ended up being their most reliable arm out of the bullpen, which struggled for most of 2019. The 32-year-old ended up with six saves and a 1.44 ERA over 25 appearances for the curly "W." Having him coming out of the bullpen for an entire season, coming off a World Series win, will surely help stabilize that part of the Nationals' roster.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Nationals added some power by reaching a one-year deal with first baseman Eric Thames. The contract is worth $4 million for the former Milwaukee Brewer, who has plenty of power from the left-handed side of the plate. The 33-year-old finished with 25 home runs and 61 RBIs for the Brew-Crew last season, batting .247 for the season. He is expected to share time at first base with fellow veteran and the NLCS MVP last fall, Howie Kendrick, who was locked in on a one-year contract this winter.
In other minor notes around the majors, the Detroit Tigers have given starting pitcher Michael Fulmer a new one-year contract for $2.8 million, which was announced Monday. This contract comes after Fulmer missed all of last season following Tommy John Surgery, as the 28-year-old received the same contract he did one year ago. He has been hampered with injuries since winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2016 and winning 10 games in 2017. Once he is officially healthy, he is expected to be at the top of the Tigers' starting rotation.
And former Tiger shortstop Jose Iglesias has agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The 30-year-old was not tendered by the Cincinnati Reds in December, making him a free agent, as they are expected to go with Freddy Galvis as their starting shortstop. Iglesias did set career highs with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs a season ago, starting 144 games of the 146 games that he appeared in. He was also an All-Star with the Tigers in the 2015 season, and is a career .273 hitter with 32 home runs and 247 RBIs. The flashy player will be the starter at the position for Baltimore after they traded Jonathan Villar to the Miami Marlins in December.
