Back in January 2024, the Milwaukee Brewers pulled off a quiet trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers that barely registered on the hot stove radar. It looked like a routine depth move - the kind of transaction that fills out a spring training roster, not headlines. Milwaukee sent over Justin Chambers, a 20th-round draft pick, in exchange for Bryan Hudson, a 6-foot-8 left-handed reliever who had logged just 8.2 innings with the Dodgers the previous season and carried a rough 7.27 ERA.
But if there's one thing Brewers fans have learned during Matt Arnold’s tenure, it’s this: don’t sleep on the under-the-radar moves. Time and again, Milwaukee’s front office has shown a knack for unearthing value where others don’t see it. And for a stretch in 2024, Hudson looked like the latest hidden gem.
Hudson, originally a third-round pick by the Cubs back in 2015, wasn’t exactly a household name when he arrived in Milwaukee. But he made an immediate impression.
He cracked the Brewers’ Opening Day roster - a surprise in itself - and made his debut in the third game of the season against the Mets. With New York’s fanbase already on edge after two straight losses to open the year, Hudson came in and silenced the crowd, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out four.
It was a tone-setter.
From there, Hudson went on a tear. By May 27, after another clean two-inning outing - this time against his former organization, the Cubs - his ERA sat at a jaw-dropping 0.59.
He was efficient, composed, and flat-out dominant. The towering lefty wasn’t just holding his own; he was thriving.
And when All-Star chatter started to bubble up in June, Hudson’s name was in the mix - a remarkable rise for a reliever who had barely sniffed the majors the year before.
He didn’t end up making the All-Star team, but the fact that he was even in the conversation said plenty. Unfortunately, the second half of the season didn’t go quite as smoothly.
Hudson was pushing into workload territory he hadn’t seen since 2018, and then came a late-July oblique strain that slowed him down. The Brewers, mindful of his health and long-term value, eased off his usage.
Even with a sparkling 1.73 ERA in early September, Milwaukee made the decision to option Hudson to Triple-A. He stayed there for the remainder of the season - a surprising move on the surface, but one that reflected the team’s cautious approach and depth in the bullpen.
Come 2025, Hudson looked like he might be back on track. He opened the year with seven straight scoreless outings, flashing some of that early-2024 form.
But then the wheels started to come off. His command faltered, the results followed, and the Brewers - needing roster space at the trade deadline - designated him for assignment.
Just like that, the breakout reliever was on the move again.
The White Sox picked him up, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. Hudson made four appearances for Chicago’s big-league club and spent the rest of the year in Triple-A, where he showed flashes but couldn’t quite recapture the magic.
Now, his time with the White Sox may be over too. On Wednesday, the team designated Hudson for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for outfielder Austin Hays.
It’s a tough break for a pitcher who, not long ago, looked like one of the most effective middle relievers in the National League. Hudson’s 2024 season wasn’t just good - it was elite.
According to Baseball Reference, he was worth 2.5 Wins Above Replacement that year. For a middle reliever, that’s a staggering number.
That kind of production, especially from someone acquired for a 20th-round pick, is the kind of front-office win that teams dream about.
And it wasn’t just luck. The underlying metrics backed it up.
Hudson ranked in the 89th percentile in expected ERA and 93rd percentile in expected batting average against. When he was on, he was a problem for hitters - even without eye-popping velocity or elite swing-and-miss stuff.
But that’s the rub. Hudson doesn’t overpower hitters.
His chase and whiff rates are on the lower end, so when his command slips, the margin for error gets razor-thin. That’s what happened in 2025.
The control wavered, and the results followed suit.
Still, there’s a reason teams have taken chances on him. The version of Bryan Hudson that Milwaukee unlocked in 2024 - the one who carved through lineups with precision and poise - is still in there. He’s only 28, and if a pitching coach can help him rediscover that command, he could be a sneaky value pickup for a bullpen in need.
Hudson’s journey has already taken him from fringe prospect to breakout reliever to DFA casualty - all in the span of two seasons. But in baseball, opportunity is never far away.
If he gets another shot, don’t be surprised if he makes the most of it. After all, we’ve seen what he can do when everything clicks.