Tim Hudson Inks Extension -- Pending MRI -- Gives Braves Hometown Discount

You probably want to be spared the cheesy "home is where the heart is" stuff, but to Tim Hudson that sentiment apparently carries a lot of weight. Hudson, who grew up about 100 miles away from Atlanta in Phenix City, Ala. has once again given the Atlanta Braves a hometown discount. It all comes down to two parties wanting to continue a mutually beneficial relationship.

"I wanted to be back and they (Braves) wanted me back", Hudson told local sports-talk radio station 680 the Fan this morning. "Sometimes you have to tell your agent that I'm happy here and you work for me."

The three-year deal is said to be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $27 million. Terms were finalized this week and Hudson passed his physical yesterday. The only roadblock still in place, according to Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is an MRI on Hudson's surgically repaired elbow.

With Hudson healthy and back in the Braves rotation, Atlanta has an extra starting pitcher and a glaring need for a power hitter in the middle of the lineup. To get that needed bat, the team is facing a decision on whether to deal someone from this impressive list of pitchers: Jair Jurrjens, Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, Javier Vazquez, or Tommy Hanson.

Jurrjens and Hanson are safely entrenched in Atlanta. They are excellent pitchers and cheap options as they are both young. And if the team really wants to bring back a middle-of-the-lineup type slugger, Kawakami isn't going to be valuable enough in trade. That leaves either Vazquez or Lowe to dangle in front of general mangers this winter.

Two reasons lead me to believe that Vazquez will be the pitcher given his walking papers. When it comes to return value, the Braves will get a better hitter in return for Vazquez, who is the stronger and younger pitcher. He's also got a much more favorable contract then Lowe, who is still owed $45 million over the next three years.