New York Mets Trade For Chicago Cubs Journeyman Catcher

The New York Mets added to their organizational depth with a trade that brings a veteran catcher to their minor-league system.

The New York Mets added to their minor-league depth on Thursday by trading for Chicago Cubs catcher Joe Hudson, per the MLB Transactions log.  

It’s not clear what the Mets gave up for the 32-year-old Hudson, who hasn’t played in the Majors since 2020.

The Mets assigned him to Double-A Binghamton after the trade.

The Cubs had little use for him, with starter Yan Gomes and backup Miguel Amaya in the Majors and three catchers on their Triple-A roster, including Curt Casali.

The Mets are in a similar situation, with Francisco Alvarez starting and Omar Navarez backing him up. Tomas Nido and Austin Allen are the tandem at Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets may see the well-traveled Hudson as a mentor and backup to Kevin Parada, who is at Double-A and was their first-round pick two years ago.

He has 18 total Major League games to his credit — nine with Seattle in 2020, one with St. Louis (2019) and eight with the Los Angeles Angels (2018). He’s a .167 hitter in the Majors.

Hudson is a lifetime .222 hitter in the minors with 56 home runs and 263 RBI. He was a sixth-round pick for the Cincinnati Reds in 2012 out of Notre Dame.

He bounced around pro baseball for several years before he broke in with the Angels.

Since Seattle, he’s been a Triple-A favorite, as he worked in the Pittsburgh system in 2021, the Tampa Bay system in 2022 and the Atlanta system in 2023. He’s also logged time in Winter Ball with Aguilas Cibaenas and with Gigantes del Cibao.

The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal in December and he went through spring training before he was assigned to Triple-A Iowa, where he had eight hitless plate appearances before the Cubs put him on their developmental list on April 4.