The Rockies opened the new year by acquiring much-needed depth, signing starting pitcher Dakota Hudson and veteran catcher Jacob Stallings to one-year, major league deals.
To make room for Hudson and Stallings on the 40-man roster, catcher Brian Serven was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Cubs, while infielder Alan Trejo was outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Hudson, a right-hander, was a first-round selection by St. Louis in the 2016 draft. He’s a groundball pitcher who performed well early in his career after making his debut with the Cardinals in 2018. For his first three seasons, he went 23-10 and posted a 3.18 ERA over 67 games, including 40 starts.
But Hudson, 29, missed almost all of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he struggled mightily last season. He posted a 4.98 ERA in 81 1/3 innings of work. He also was demoted to Triple-A, where he made 11 starts and had a 6.00 ERA.
The Cardinals non-tendered the right-hander in November, making him a free agent. Colorado has control of Hudson through the 2025 season, his final year of arbitration.
Stallings, 34, was non-tendered by the Marlins. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft by Pittsburgh and made his major league debut in 2016. He became the Pirates’ regular backup catcher in 2019. He then became the Pirates’ starter, displayed exceptional skills behind the plate, and won a Gold Glove in 2021 while posting a .995 fielding percentage with no passed balls, the only catcher in the majors without a passed ball (minimum 500 innings).
During the 2021-22 offseason, Stallings was traded to Miami in exchange for three players. During his two seasons with the Marlins, he’s slashed just .210/.287/.290. Stallings was lined up for a projected $3.6 million contract via arbitration before he was cut loose by Miami after slashing .191/.278/.286 with three home runs and 20 RBIs in 88 games.
In Colorado, Stallings will reunite with 2023 All-Star catcher Elias Diaz, with whom he shared time behind the plate in 2019.
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