Veteran righty Jake Woodford went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Cubs this week. He elected free agency, per the MiLB.com transaction log, but he’s headed right back to the Cubs on a new minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. He’ll work out of the rotation in Triple-A Iowa for the time being.
It’s been a rollercoaster year for Woodford, who’s been with six different organizations dating back to early 2025. He’s suited up for the D-backs, Brewers and Cubs at the major league level in addition to minor league stints with the Yankees, Rockies and Rays (the latter two in spring training only). He’s been tagged for a 6.86 ERA in 61 2/3 major league frames across those two seasons, though metrics like SIERA (4.35) and FIP (4.22) feel he’s pitched better than that ERA would indicate, due in part to a bloated .355 average on balls in play and a 59.7% strand rate.
The 29-year-old Woodford has pitched in parts of six big league seasons and picked up more than four years of major league service time. His best stretch came back with the 2021-22 Cardinals (3.26 ERA in 116 innings). The 6’4″ righty has been knocked around for an ERA close to 7.00 in the 144 1/3 major league frames he’s totaled since that run.
Woodford sat 93.7 mph with his sinker this season and paired that pitch with a 90.2 mph cutter, a mid-80s splitter and a low-80s slider. The well-traveled swingman has also logged 475 innings across parts of eight Triple-A seasons, working to a 4.15 ERA with a 20.5% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate.
The Cubs’ pitching staff has been decimated by injuries this season. Chicago currently has starters Cade Horton, Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown and Jameson Taillon on the injured list alongside relievers Daniel Palencia, Porter Hodge, Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Hoby Milner and Ethan Roberts. Horton and Hodge are done for the season following UCL surgery. Steele hasn’t pitched this year and will only return as a reliever late in the season — if he makes it back at all.
Needless to say, the Cubs will be focused on bolstering the pitching staff in the final two-plus weeks ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. In the meantime, they’ll have Woodford on hand to add some length to the ‘pen in the event of short starts and/or further injuries to current starters Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, David Peterson, Colin Rea and Javier Assad.
