PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Bryan Hudson is chasing something familiar with the Mets this spring.
Hudson broke camp with the Brewers two years ago when Milwaukee opened its season against the Mets at Citi Field. It was the first time in his career that he made an Opening Day roster. Hudson pitched in the third game of that series and was dominant, setting the tone for what turned out to be a breakout campaign in the Brewers’ bullpen.
Now, after being traded from the White Sox to the Mets this week — part of what he described as a “whirlwind” start to his February — Hudson finds himself in the middle of a spring competition to fill out the Mets’ bullpen.
“I want to break with this roster, that’s definitely the goal,” the 6-foot-8 Hudson told NJ.com in the Mets’ clubhouse at Clover Park on Thursday. “Opening up and pitching in New York in ‘24 was an awesome feeling. I’m chasing it again.”
The path for Hudson to earn a spot with the Mets this spring is crystal clear. Since A.J. Minter will start the year on the injured list, Brooks Raley is the only other lefty reliever who is a lock to make the Opening Day roster. Hudson is one of only a handful of southpaw relievers at camp. Since he’s already on the club’s 40-man roster and has previously pitched at a high level in the big leagues, there’s a spot for him to grab this spring. Hudson doesn’t have any minor-league options, either, so the Mets can’t send him down to Triple-A to begin the year unless he passes through waivers.
“We acquired him because he’s got a chance to come in here and compete for a bullpen spot,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “A couple of years ago, he had a pretty good year. He was pretty effective for the Brewers. Last year, he had some ups and downs, but we still feel like he can help us. So he’s going to get an opportunity and then we’ll see how it goes.”
Hudson, 28, posted a 1.73 ERA over 62 1/3 innings out of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2024. In that first outing of the season against the Mets, he tossed three innings in relief, striking out four with no walks.
Last year was a different story. He had a 4.80 ERA over just 16 big-league appearances, bouncing from the Brewers to the White Sox. Even in Triple-A, where he spent the majority of his season, he struggled, pitching to a 5.97 ERA over 30 games.
Hudson believes the regression can be traced back to getting ahead of hitters.
“Last year, I was getting a little lackadaisical trying to be too perfect in certain spots in the zone,” Hudson said. “I’m going to get back to that aggressive approach this year, attacking hitters and not worrying so much about the outcomes. Just going straight after them.”
To bounce back from last year, Hudson fine-tuned his arsenal in the offseason. He said he focused on making his cutter more horizontal while making sure his sinker could induce ground balls and swings and misses. The left-hander has a meeting scheduled with members of the Mets’ coaching staff on Friday to dive into an individualized plan for spring training, so it’s possible more adjustments are on the way.
“I absolutely think I can help this team, especially pitching from the left side,” Hudson said.
