Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Report: Braves, Hudson close to agreeing on three-year extension

The Atlanta Braves and starter Tim Hudson are reportedly close to agreeing on a three-year extension which will pay the Georgia native almost $9 million annually.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Thursday that the deal will not be finalized until Hudson's surgically-repaired elbow is able to pass another MRI, which is expected to occur shortly. The elbow has passed all other exams of the type since his August, 2008 Tommy John surgery.

Hudson had his streak of 10 consecutive seasons of 10-or-more wins snapped in 2009, a year which saw him return late from surgery to go 2-1 with a 3.61 earned-run average in seven starts.

The 34-year-old holds a 148-78 mark with a 3.49 ERA over 310 starts with Oakland and Atlanta since breaking into the majors in 1999.