4 former Cardinals who have performed putridly in 2024

The focus is always on former St. Louis Cardinals who have dominated with their new teams, but spare a thought for those who haven't found success in 2024.

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Dakota Hudson

The Cardinals loved their sinkerballers over the past 20 years, but Dakota Hudson was never a strong starting pitcher during parts of five seasons in the role with the Cardinals despite fitting the team's mantra perfectly. His best year was 2019, when he finished fifth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. After the team let him walk in free agency after 2023, Hudson latched on with the Colorado Rockies, where he currently leads the major leagues with 10 losses and owns an unsightly 5.63 ERA.

The Rockies clearly hoped that Hudson's sinker would mitigate the homer-happy tendencies of Coors Field, but he has pitched to the highest fly ball rate in his career, at 24.1%, and allowed nine home runs. Walks have always been an issue with Hudson, and he is at the top of the National League in that dubious category, with 38 in 76.2 innings. Hudson's strikeout numbers have also cratered, as he has fanned only 4.8 batters per nine innings, which is among the lowest in the league.

After Hudson's latest outing, where he was roughed up for 11 hits and eight runs in three innings, the former first-round pick is likely hanging on by a thread in the major leagues. He's on a one-year contract, so the Rockies might send him into the abyss after 2024, if not sooner.

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