I know Nico had a Hudson thread yesterday, but if I posted this there it would be too late.

I have a very inside source on the A's medical staff who told me during this off-season that Tim Hudson's future was as a closer, that the oblique strains would never go away as long as he remained a starter, and that his value as a starter would just continue to decrease--or the injury pattern become so overwhelming--to the point where he went to the bullpen. The person who told me this worked on Timmy a lot and seemed very confident in what he was saying.

Side note: This same doctor told me that with Mulder the last few years it's all been in his head. But I guess we sort of knew that by watching.

To me, what's most interesting about all of this is how well Beane read both situations.