Red Sox showing interest in Braves pitcher Tim Hudson

Jul 11, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson (15) pitches in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan is now reporting “mutual interest” between the Red Sox and Hudson. In addition, he followed with a Tweet placing Hudson’s market value at 2 years and $24 million, which would more than likely price the Braves out of the race. More to come. 

Earlier in the week, news broke that there is a long list of teams interested in the services of veteran pitcher (and free agent) Tim Hudson, and that the Braves were still in the market to keep him. However, there is an additional report that links the World Series champions to Huddy.

Jon Heyman of CBS indicates that Boston is very much interested in Hudson, and in the body of his story, he includes strong language from a “person familiar” with the Red Sox:

"Hudson is drawing significant interest from around the league (MLB.com reported the Indians and Royals, too), but Boston’s interest is intriguing, and maybe even to Hudson, who just saw the Red Sox win the World Series. One person familiar with the champs’ thinking said, “They really want him.”"

Obviously, this isn’t anything concrete, but you never want to get into a bidding war with a behemoth like the Red Sox, especially when they just won the World Series. Multiple reports (including one from the AJC’s David O’Brien) indicate that the Braves have already made a 1-year offer for Hudson, but no one seems to believe that the specifics of that offer will be enough to get it done, and it remains unclear just how high ($8 million? $10 million?) the Braves could go for his services.

One ray of sunshine is another report from the AJC that indicates rumblings that Liberty Media could be prepared to up payroll to approximately $100 million in 2014. That would give the Braves some additional flexibility, especially in the short-term, to throw some extra dollars toward Hudson while the costs are still low for players like Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, and Andrelton Simmons.

This is all speculation at this stage, but I’m on record in stating that there is a role for Hudson on the 2014 Braves, and I would probably go up to $9-10 million on a 1-year contract to keep him in the fold.