The Diamondbacks are going to sign right-hander Jake Woodford to a major league deal, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Fellow righty Juan Morillo will be optioned as the corresponding active roster move. The Snakes will also need to open a 40-man roster spot.
Woodford, 28, just opted out of a minor league deal with the Cubs earlier today. He had also opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees earlier in the year, which led him to the Cubs. He was also with the Rockies on a minor league deal in spring training but opted out of that deal prior to the start of the season. Now the third opt-out will get him to the majors.
Between his time with the Yankees and the Cubs, Woodford threw 61 1/3 innings across ten starts and four relief appearances. He had a 4.55 earned run average, 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground ball rate.
He does have some major league experience on his track record. Over the previous five seasons, he logged 219 2/3 innings in the big leagues, mostly with the Cardinals. He has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate.
The Diamondbacks probably want him to serve in a long relief role, since he is currently stretched out. They have a rotation consisting of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodríguez and Ryne Nelson. Their bullpen has been hit by a number of injuries. A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez were supposed to be the two top dogs back there but both required season-ending elbow surgeries. Christian Montes De Oca might also be done for the year due to back surgery. Kendall Graveman is on the shelf due to a hip impingement.
The bullpen got heavy usage during the three games from Saturday through Monday, with six out of eight relievers pitching twice in those contests. Gallen gave them a bit of a breather by going seven strong yesterday. Anthony DeSclafani, the only guy who didn’t pitch in the previous three games, soaked up the final two frames. On the whole, the group is pretty gassed, so Woodford will be on hand to potentially give them multiple innings, if needed. He is out of options and will therefore have to be removed from the 40-man if the Diamondbacks want to take him off the active roster at any point.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Jake Woodford is the type of pitcher who relies on pin-point precision with his pitches to get outs. When he’s on, he’ll remind you of Greg Maddux the way he pitches. The issue? He’s on maybe 2 starts in a row then off for 2-3 and he just doesn’t have the stuff to get guys out when he’s not on. I am always rooting for him though!
Rotation fill-in for when someone gets traded.
He could possibly be tried at the back of the bullpen as either a closer or setup man. No harm trying to see where they can fit him in especially with all the injuries they’ve had.
Looks like the D’Backs are setting up rotation pieces prior to the trade deadline. They now have Woodford and DeSclafani, to replace Gallen and Kelly. D’Backs know they are going to get good offers for Gallen and Kelly that they are as good as traded, if last year trade deadline was as strong the D”backs should get a good haul of ML ready prospects. When you have the Cubs, Mets, Phillies, St. Louis, Yankees, Houston just those teams alone will be bidding against each other.
Getting ready for the fire sale. Gallen, Kelly, Miller, Suarez and Naylor should all be moved. A+ for spending the $$ this season, but even with a 100% healthy roster firing on all cylinders it was going to be an uphill battle for the snakes. Injuries and underperformance will be the story of the season. After the trade deadline dust settles the question in September will be after 9 seasons has Lovullo taken this core as far as he can and/or is a new voice needed to take the next step.
Despite all the injuries, I don’t believe Hazen has made the decision to sell just yet. Imo, he’s still hoping the Dbacks can hang in the WC race until the deadline and pickup a couple of high leverage BP arms. He believes, as do many fans, this team can compete if they stop blowing leads late – MLB leading 18 blown saves. The question is, can they can hold on until the deadline with Carroll and Gabby out, Naylor day to day, the BP leaking oil and a rough slate of games on the horizon?