The Reds announced the signing of righty Blake Wood to a major league deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Wood, a 30-year-old righty, last pitched in the majors in 2014. He had been a regular contributor to the Royals pen over the 2010-11 seasons, throwing 119 1/3 innings of 4.30 ERA ball, but ended up requiring Tommy John surgery.
Last year, Wood pitched for the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. Over 58 2/3 innings, he worked to a 3.53 ERA. Notably, he managed a 10.7 strikeout-per-nine rate while issuing just under four free passes per regulation game.
What a joke. Why?
Blake Wood?? Major League Contract??? I don’t understand this.
Do they need relief help that bad?
Reclamation project to flip at the deadline? I have no idea.
We’ll need a closer after we trade Chapman
Good grief…
I never heard of him before this, but the one thing he DOES have going for him is that he’s been clocked at 99.6mph by PitchFX, with an average fastball of 95.4mph in his brief big league career. He’s definitely a power arm… aside from Chapman and Jumbo Diaz he’s now their hardest thrower.
He reminds me a bit of hard-throwing Jumbo Diaz, who had trouble getting to MLB because of his weight.
I was hoping they’d target power arms, albeit on minor league contracts… or ones 5+ years younger…
He had a decent 2011 season with the Royals before having Tommy John surgery, and I guess they now think he’s both finally fully recovered and better prepared. My best guess is that they see him as a low risk, high reward reclamation project who they could potentially trade. If he doesn’t work out, well, who cares.
The Reds have to pursue these diamonds in the rough. Current salary constraints leave them little funds to hire premier talent. Until the young arms on hand solidify to solve the starting an relief needs, the Reds need to succeed with some of these reclamation projects.