Worst Free Agent Contracts in Pittsburgh Pirates History

#14 Daniel Hudson, 2-year $11 million

Daniel Hudson had created a career for himself by pitching out of the bullpen. The two-time Tommy John recipient has had a really successful career considering the double surgeries. However, Hudson had one of his worst years with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the 2016 Trade Deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Mark Melancon to the Washington Nationals. This obviously was a key piece to move from their bullpen. So the team actually made a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary move.

Neal Huntington brought in former starter turned reliever Daniel Hudson on a 2-year contract. Hudson would earn $5.5 million a year, a substantial amount for a reliever on a team like the Pirates. What was weird about the deal was that Neal Huntington rarely handed out contracts to veteran relievers.

Hudson would not last very long in terms of his stay with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would throw to a relatively unimpressive 4.38 ERA in 71 appearances. While there are plenty of relievers that put up those types of numbers, this was not what the Bucs needed from Hudson. He was guaranteed to make a chunk of change, instead of a typical journeyman veteran reliever. The Bucs would end up trading Hudson to the Tampa Bay Rays before the start of the 2018 season. In return, the Rays sent outfielder Corey Dickerson, who was also in roster limbo at the time.