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Yankees, Jake Woodford Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | March 24, 2025 at 6:26pm CDT

The Yankees are in agreement with Jake Woodford on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The Excel Sports Management client had opted out of his minor league deal with the Rockies over the weekend and was granted his release.

Woodford will begin the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as rotation or long relief depth. He’s capable of pitching in either role. Woodford has started 25 of 89 appearances in his major league career. He has an earned run average just shy of 5.00 across parts of five seasons. Most of that came with the Cardinals, as the former top 40 draft pick pitched for St. Louis between 2020-23.

The 28-year-old made briefer appearances with the Pirates and White Sox last season. Woodford struggled to an ERA near 8.00 over 35 MLB innings. He had solid numbers in Triple-A, though, pitching to a 3.93 ERA over 20 appearances. He recorded roughly average strikeout (22.9%) and grounder (43.7%) rates while walking fewer than 7% of opposing hitters. Woodford has allowed an even four earned runs per nine over parts of six seasons at the top minor league level.

Colorado added Woodford to camp on a minor league contract in January. He gave up seven runs with a 6:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 innings in Cactus League play. That wasn’t enough to convince the Rox to select his contract when he took his out clause last week. He’ll now get an opportunity to work in a depth role for a Yankee team that has been hit hard in Spring Training.

Injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil dealt major blows to the rotation. Clarke Schmidt will start the season on the injured list because of a shoulder issue. JT Brubaker suffered rib fractures that keep him out of the Opening Day mix. That has pushed non-roster invitee Carlos Carrasco and prospect Will Warren into the rotation behind Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman. Woodford joins Allan Winans and Brandon Leibrandt as pitchers with MLB experience who’ll begin the season in Scranton.

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New York Yankees Transactions Jake Woodford

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View Comments (38)
Post a Comment

38 Comments

  1. hiflew

    2 months ago

    The Yanks must be really hard up if they are taking on Rockies scraps now.

    7
    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      2 months ago

      They’re saving his career sparing him to pitch out of Coors.

      6
      Reply
    • Ronk325

      2 months ago

      They need as much depth as possible until Schmidt and Gil are back. Ideally, they won’t have to rely on Woodford for any meaningful innings but it doesn’t hurt to have around in case of emergency

      3
      Reply
    • 99Captain Judge99

      2 months ago

      It just doesn’t get any worse then this! Enough dumpsta divin’ already!

      2
      Reply
      • Begamin

        2 months ago

        Who do you think they should go get, oh wise one? Cant wait to see your response

        4
        Reply
      • thecoffinnail

        2 months ago

        Nothing more than a replacement and the Yankees bullpen should be strong enough to protect replacement pitchers like him. Schmidt will be back shortly bumping Warren or Carrasco anyway. I doubt Woodford sees anything more than a spot start.

        1
        Reply
        • 99Captain Judge99

          2 months ago

          Arizona would pay about 85% of Jordan Montgomery’s contract for this season just to get rid of him. Two mid level prospects probably gets it done. No-brainer. Fedde on the Cardinals would definitely be a bigger ask. Bobby Miller is definitely goin cost Everson Pereira and a pitching prospect like Selvidge in the minors.

          Reply
        • Begamin

          2 months ago

          I just knew your suggestion would be amazing to hear. Jordan Montgomery is getting Tommy John surgery next week lmaooo

          You complain about dumpster diving… yet want the Yanks to tack on a contract for a guy getting Tommy John and on top of that, send two “mid level prospects” to seal the deal. Thats just brilliant. Whats next, should we do finger painting or macaroni art?

          Reply
    • Wrian Washman

      2 months ago

      @hi God forbid a team add depth. Where is this superstar pitcher that’s available on the waiver wire or Free Agency that doesn’t qualify as scraps. I know it’s mostly troll and jokes but it’s a stupid joke. “X team as picked up Y player on the waiver wire” restarted MLBTR commenter” dur duh durrr look at this team picking up garbage off the street ha haha hahaha am I funny yet durr durr”

      1
      Reply
      • rocky7

        2 months ago

        Yes, Wrian….all these armchair GM know-it-alls who have no conception of building out a roster….good pickup….a guy who can swing either way….start or long relief…..important role but all these expert commenters never heard of Mario Mendoza and the important role he played in multiple Yankee championships while doing exactly the same thing…….

        Reply
    • Sorinotsori

      2 months ago

      Well the Yankees took “scraps” from the historically bad white Sox last year, Jake cousins and Tim Hill sure did a job in NY. Fixing pitchers from inept organizations is becoming a specialty

      1
      Reply
  2. TrillionaireTeamOperator

    2 months ago

    The Yankees, moreso than other clubs, seem to love to take fliers on Quadruple-A pitching depth.

    2
    Reply
    • Salzilla

      2 months ago

      You honestly need depth upon depth upon depth.

      4
      Reply
  3. آلي مكبيل_.._.بيتزا بيبيروني آشتون كوتشر

    2 months ago

    This definitely made sense.

    Reply
  4. bwmiller79

    2 months ago

    Cookie Carrasco getting another spin. I think Gil will make a nice return mid season, Stanton on the other hand is toast.

    Yankees should be just as concerned about adding a bat to their lineup.

    Reply
    • Salzilla

      2 months ago

      I think you’re going to see another bat as has been reported. Lots of dirt cheap players right now out there.

      1
      Reply
  5. Brian Cashman Fan

    2 months ago

    You can never have enough pitching.

    2
    Reply
  6. Samuel

    2 months ago

    It seems like every MLB team is starting the season with some of their starting pitchers out injured again this year. And of course pitching injuries to top pitchers will be occurring multiple times a week all season long…..and likely into the playoffs.

    It’s long been time for the Commissioner to stop talking about expansion, players to be able to pinch hit multiple times a game and other juicy nonsense. He needs to get together with owners, the players union, a blue ribbon medical panel and any other group of people that can stop what was once a TJ surgery epidemic that is now the new normal.

    Point blank: It degrades to the integrity of the sport…..then again, minus the medical professionals noted above, the other groups have been compromising said integrity for money going on 50 years now.
    –
    The MBA’s that took over MLB FO’s decades ago with analytics have not just ruined the sport on the field, they’ve screwed up the financials as well.

    Reply
    • Ronk325

      2 months ago

      The only way to cut down on the severe injuries to pitchers would be to convince them to stop relying on velocity and spin. That’s just not going to happen because those traits are what lead to big paydays. It’s a vicious cycle that won’t end anytime soon

      2
      Reply
    • The Raven

      2 months ago

      Compromising the integrity of the sport? I do not think you are using the correct phrase in this instance. Had you said, dilutes the talent pool, or alters outcomes based on which teams are lucky to avoid injuries, then maybe you would have something.

      Reply
      • avenger65

        2 months ago

        Ronk: Yet every article you read mentions velocity and spin. If Phil Niekro was still pitching we’d be reading “15+ game winner 13 times but only throws 83 mph.” Spin rate, just more useless information, like analytics.

        Reply
        • Ronk325

          2 months ago

          It was a different game when Niekro played and contracts weren’t nearly as large. That last line is pretty ignorant. Analytics are far from useless

          Reply
    • avenger65

      2 months ago

      Samuel: With all of his rule changes designed to help the offense, maybe Manfred doesn’t care if hitters face a lot of second tier pitchers.

      Reply
      • Joe says...

        2 months ago

        Manfred has less to do with it than the owners. It’s in the owners best interest to continue to do exactly what they’re doing. Analytics says high velo and spin rate matter. Analytic dependancy makes for an uglier less interesting game but it works. Also, and most importantly, if a pitcher gets used up and is out of the game before he gets too deep into arbitration or fee agency it costs the owners less money. There doesn’t appear to be a good solution to this problem.

        Reply
  7. Dmac13

    2 months ago

    And where is spencer turnbull? Maybe he won’t take a AAA assignment to start

    Reply
  8. laynestaley2002

    2 months ago

    From the outhouse to the penthouse.

    1
    Reply
  9. Charlesm 2025

    2 months ago

    The Yankees complain more than anyone else about their roster but yet are too lazy to do anything. They could have signed j.d. Martinez or a pitcher that is now off the board.

    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      2 months ago

      So they’re lazy because they didn’t sign the players which you want?

      1
      Reply
    • rocky7

      2 months ago

      They don’t need a DH type like Martinez who wasn’t good defensively when he was young let alone now can’t play the field pretty much at all….everyone complained about how “G” clogged up the DH position and now you want to add another to the same role? And who knows what he has left offensively….
      And exactly what pitching could they have added that’s ‘off the board”….while you never have enough arms, teams that fall by the wayside going into July will be very willing to move players for the right price….the question is whether the potential player addition is worth what it would cost the Yankees to add them…….

      Reply
    • Sorinotsori

      2 months ago

      Jd isn’t signing a minimum deal. We don’t think he’s worth more. I tend to agree.

      Reply
  10. swanhenge

    2 months ago

    Nice scoop Steve. Rare to see a MBLTR guy announce a deal.

    1
    Reply
  11. Wire to wire 2024

    2 months ago

    Game 7 World Series Castellanos homers off him and gets to flex as he cries on the mound

    Reply
  12. Old York

    2 months ago

    Yankees just trying to find guys to fill in the 5th, 6th & 7th innings and hoping someone sticks. It’s going to be a rough season for the SPs.

    Reply
  13. dasit

    2 months ago

    the yankee bullpen is going to be crushed out of the gate. you can’t have too many arms

    Reply
  14. privy

    2 months ago

    Yankees will be fine.Worry about your team.

    Reply
  15. MyCommentIsBetter

    2 months ago

    Yankees are a 78 win roster with a 105 win payroll.

    Reply
    • rocky7

      2 months ago

      So, the team who hasn’t won 90 games only once since 2017 is going straight to the basement in your opinion……

      Reply
      • MyCommentIsBetter

        2 months ago

        No. The Blue Jays will be at the bottom lol.

        Reply

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