Former Dodgers pitcher gets traded to Mets after unfortunate flame-out with Brewers

The Bryan Hudson trade is the kind of transaction that barely blips on the league-wide radar — and yet it’s so familiar if you’ve watched the Dodgers operate for the past few years.

The Chicago White Sox shipped the lefty reliever to the New York Mets for cash after designating him for assignment, with New York moving Reed Garrett to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot. It’s clean, procedural, and very “February bullpen math.” 

But for Dodgers fans, Hudson’s name hits a specific nerve. He wasn’t a cornerstone by any means. He was one of those arms the Dodgers can summon, option, stash, and recycle because the system is constantly manufacturing the next reliever-shaped solution.

Bryan Hudson’s Brewers flame-out ended ugly, but the Mets just opened a new door

Hudson’s actual Dodgers résumé was brief — six MLB relief appearances in 2023 across multiple stints, the classic shuttle life between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. That was just his role. And it’s also why it’s hard to get too sentimental about him turning into someone else’s lottery ticket now. The Dodgers didn’t “lose” a bullpen piece so much as they processed another one through the machine.

The timing tells you everything. The Dodgers designated Hudson in late December 2023 as a roster casualty after the Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing squeezed the 40-man. That’s the whole story. 

What’s wild is that the Brewers really did find something for a minute. Hudson didn’t just “pop” in 2024 — he looked like a legitimate bullpen weapon, posting a 1.73 ERA and a microscopic 0.72 WHIP over 43 appearances (62 1/3 innings).

But then 2025 hit, and the control issues resurfaced. He walked the yard early, got sent down, and Milwaukee eventually DFA’d him in July.

Now the Mets step in with the cheapest possible bet: cash, a roster spot created by an injury move, and a clear bullpen need for lefty options. If Hudson throws strikes, great — they may have bought themselves a useful matchup arm for the cost of a rounding error. If he doesn’t, he’s just another name that passes through Queens on the way back to Triple-A.

Hudson to the Mets isn’t really a Dodgers story anymore — it’s a reminder of how the Dodgers keep their roster sharp. They didn’t cling to the fringes. They made room for the stars, kept the machine moving, and trusted that the next fresh arm would be there when they needed it.