Veteran pitcher's 3-year stint with SF Giants comes to an end after reportedly signing with A's
Alex Wood's market had seemingly been quiet for much of the offseason. However, that changed over the weekend as Robert Murray of FanSided reported that the former SF Giants hurler had agreed to join the Oakland A's.
Veteran pitcher's 3-year stint with SF Giants comes to an end after reportedly signing with A's
The deal is pending a physical, so the A's have not announced the move yet. Interestingly, the financial details have not been made public either. More than likely, Wood joins Oakland on a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $5 million.
Once it is finalized, it would signal the end of Wood's three-year stint with San Francisco. It seemed unlikely that the lefty pitcher would return after finishing his two-year, $25 million pact. He made no secrets about his desire to start, but there are no openings in the Giants rotation at this point.
Oakland feels like a good landing spot as Wood will get a shot to work out of the starting rotation again and will likely get a long leash. If he performs well, he could be a nice trade option for a team in need of a left-handed pitcher down the stretch.
The Giants originally signed him to a one-year, $3 million pact before the 2021 season. Prior to this, the southpaw pitcher had established himself as a low-volume, mid-rotation arm for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cincinnati Reds. Of course, he struggled to consistently stay on the mound, so the Giants got him at a bit of a discount.
Wood rewarded their faith by recording a 3.83 ERA in 26 starts for the Giants in a year in which they won 107 games. He reached free agency after that season and had more leverage after coming off of a solid year, so the Giants rewarded him with a multi-year pact.
That contract did not go as planned as the 33-year-old struggled to the tune of a 4.77 ERA over the next two seasons. His inability to pitch deep into games became magnified as it often forced Giants manager Gabe Kapler to pull him earlier than hoped.
By the end of his tenure with the Giants, the 11-year veteran was relegated to the bullpen and used inconsistently. There was no role for Wood at that point while it became clear that he was unhappy with his usage.
That said, he will now be looked to as a veteran voice in a young, A's clubhouse.