The Tigers announced Monday that they’ve signed left-hander Travis Wood to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Wood was released by the Padres earlier this offseason. He’s represented by Frontline.
Wood, 30, signed a two-year, $12MM contract with the Royals last winter but struggled enormously both in Kansas City and in San Diego this past season. The former Cubs lefty posted an ERA north of 6.70 with both teams last year, working to an overall 6.80 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 1.8 HR/9 mark in 94 innings. He’s still owed $6.5MM in 2018, but the Royals agreed to pay the entirety of that sum when he was traded to San Diego, so Wood represents a lottery ticket for a Tigers staff that could use him in either the rotation or bullpen if he shows signs of returning to form in Spring Training.
Brutal as his 2017 campaign was, it wasn’t that long ago that Wood was an effective big league arm. From 2015-16, Wood totaled 161 2/3 innings with a 3.51 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 between nine starts and 122 relief appearances for the Cubs. Overall, he logged a 3.94 ERA in just shy of 700 innings in parts of five seasons in Chicago. For a Tigers club that is short on depth in both the rotation and the bullpen, Wood is a reasonable enough roll of the dice.
The Tigers’ rotation currently projects to contain Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Fiers, though Wood could certainly seize a spot in the event of an injury or some early struggles from the yet-unproven Norris and Boyd. In the bullpen, manager Ron Gardenhire has lefties Daniel Stumpf, Blaine Hardy and Jairo Labourt to choose from, but Wood can certainly push that trio for innings if he shows well in Grapefruit League play.
Lol. I’m sure the royals were hoping someone would sign him. So they can split that option year.
Released by the Padres… OY vey
So? The royals are paying the entire salary. After the season theirs and option they would split with whomever has him
It’s a mutual option with a $1.5 million buyout.. I don’t think anyone is too worried about it..
I’m pretty sure no club except the royals are on the hook for the original contract. Tigers pay league minimum or the minimum cost of any 25 man roster spot.
Low risk move that could pay off for them at the trade deadline. Not too shabby.
That was such a good trade for the Padres. They got a potential rotation piece in Strahm, a good prospect, and didn’t even have to pay Wood, all for a good reliever, a bad reliever, and a rental swingman.
Agreed.. If you remove Preller’s first year from the books he has made solid trades overall.. He would have looked even better had Colin Rea stayed healthy so the Padres could have held onto Castillo.. He looked pretty darn good with the Reds last year.. The Pomeranz trade is a bit questionable right now as well.. It looked great at the time but a young flamerthrower like Espinoza having TJS at that young age has to be worrisome.. Every time that happens I think about Eovaldi (2 TJS by the time he was 25)and what his career might have looked like without all of the arm trouble..
I agree
That kids ceiling is very high. I’m willing to bet he will jump into the 20s by the asb
Very good trade. Buchter is solid. Maurer gets the job done in ninth when they give them the ball. Cahill is a fat slob who sucks so they got rid of players at their peak. Can’t complain as a lifelong Padres fan if they hope to compete when they got rid of Cahill.
Isn’t the former cubs pitching coach – bosio- the new coach for Detroit? Maybe he thinks he can get him back to his cubs glory
Personally, I think a portion of his problem last year was his lack of innings in 2016.. He had a bad April and May, but then he only gave up 2 runs in 11 innings (8 appearances) in June and both of those came in one game.. After he found his groove in the bullpen the Royals shifted him to starting in July and he went downhill from there.. They need to put him in the pen and leave him there.. There are not many pitchers that can do what Adam Warren does every year..
If Detroit leaves him in the bullpen he will be fine and will probably look like a smart investment..
Every good pitching coach should think that, but it’s not a coincidence. A team like Detroit, with some very good young arms and a bunch of projects needs a guy like Bosio.
That is definitely the plan, hoping Bosio can fix his mechanic’s, get him back to throwing strikes and the flip him around the deadline. Bosio is very familiar Travis
The headline in tomorrow’s Detroit Free Press sports section will read “Tiger’s Wood”, right?
Either that or “Final Edition”.
Boooooo. Wanted the Cubs to re-sign him for old times sake. Bat is too good for the AL and his arm not good apparently.
Travis Wood might have been a decent option for the White Sox in 2018, especially under a similar contract. He was a full time starter, his last regular opportunity in the role back in 2014 with the Cubs under current White Sox manager Rick Renteria. Recently signed FA catcher Wellington Castillo was also his batterymate back then, not that either had a particularly great season.
Wood might have filled the same role of staff swing-man in 2018 that the WhIte Sox hope to get out of fellow southpaw T.J. House who was also signed to a minor league deal about a week ago.
I like this move. Tigers never seem to have any depth when it comes to a Lefty in the bullpen. Before Justin Wilson, I think their last reliable Lefty was… Willie Hernandez.
I would agree. Drew Smyly, Bobby Seay and Jerry Don Gleaton each had one good year from the pen. Jamie Walker was good for 3 years. They gave up too soon on Buddy Groom and stayed too long with Phil Coke and CJ Nitkowski. .
No risk I don’t see how more of these deals aren’t done by now. At some point with the lack of movement these players will sign overseas for guaranteed contracts to support their families. Sure they have opportunities to make lots of money but at a later age they will be going for a guaranteed salary and eventually the depth options in the us will thin out especially of veteran names and the mlb teams will wish they gave away a small portion of their payroll on depth/question marks as it proves vital over a grueling schedule.
Sure wish Cincy had done that…at least for depth….