Chicago Cubs Sign Former Division Foe to Minor League Deal
The Chicago Cubs have signed right-handed pitcher Jake Woodford to a one-year minor-league contract. Woodford, a former rival of the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis and Pittsburgh, will be assigned to AAA Iowa and serve as a depth option for the team if they sustain injuries to their major league pitching staff. Woodford, 28, will be joining his third organization of 2025 by signing this deal. Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors reported the deal.
Woodford started the season with the Colorado Rockies and also spent time in New York with the Yankees. After not starting the season on the Rockies MLB roster, he opted out of his deal and signed with the Yankees. After not getting called up to the Yankees MLB team for two months, he opted out of his deal with the Bronx Bombers and signed this deal with the Cubs. Chicago is hoping he can contribute and provide some insurance should they suffer more injuries to their constantly-depleted pitching staff.
Jake Woodford Agrees To Deal With Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs added a potential member of their 2025 pitching staff over the weekend by signing Jake Woodford to a one-year, minor-league deal according to MLB Trade Rumor’s Steve Adams. Woodford became available after he opted out of his deal with the New York Yankees, who did not call him up to their major league team in the two months he was in their organization. Woodford, while not on the 40-man roster, hopes that the Chicago Cubs will call on him to contribute to their big league team at some point in the season’s remaining months.
Woodford, 28, is familiar with the Chicago Cubs given that he has spent plenty of time in the NL Central with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. In his six-year career, Woodford has bounced between being a starter and a reliever, showing promise as a versatile member of a pitching staff. He got out to a rough start with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 but turned into a solid pitcher for the Chicago Cubs’ arch-rival for two seasons before struggling in 2023 and leaving the Redbirds. Since then, he has pitched with the Pirates and White Sox at the major league level, and the Rockies and Yankees in the minors.
Woodford carries a career record of 10-13 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 219.2 innings across 89 total appearances, 25 of which are starts. The right-hander’s versatility at the major league level should come into play for a Chicago Cubs team dealing with uncertainty on their pitching staff. They have sustained numerous injuries to their starting rotation and have had a constant revolving door in their bullpen.
Woodford joins Brad Keller, Chris Flexen, and Drew Pomeranz as veteran arms the organization has brought in who can serve a variety of roles on the pitching staff and produce for Craig Counsell and the NL Central-leading Cubs.
