The Cubs announced that they have selected the right-hander’s contract Jake Woodford. The right hand Andrew Wantz nominated to be given a corresponding motion.
Wantz was just drafted two days ago. He entered last night’s game and pitched the last two innings in a 10-2 win over the Cardinals, throwing 27 pitches in the contest. He probably wouldn’t be available for a day or two after that. Instead of playing arl short in the bullpen, the Cubs switched to a new one.
That would send Wantz to DFA limbo for the second time this year. He made one appearance for the Rays in May and was quickly removed from the roster that season. He cleared waivers and opted for free agency, which allowed him to sign a minor league deal with the Cubans. It’s possible that a similar sequence of events will play out in the coming days, when Wantz passes the waiver wire and returns to the open market.
He has 122 major league innings under his belt, all with the Angels except for brief stints this year with the Rays and Cubs. He allowed 4.20 earned runs per nine innings during that time with a 24.9% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate. In Triple-A this year, he threw 48 innings with a 5.63 ERA, a 21.8% strikeout rate and an 11.6% walk rate.
Woodford has had a long career helping the Brewers and Cubs this year. Between those two teams, he has gone 25 1/3 innings in 17 games. His 7.46 ERA obviously looks unimpressive, though it can be misleading. His .393 batting average on balls in play and 61.9% slugging percentage are both on the unfortunate side. His 18.7% strikeout rate is a few ticks below average but his 5.7% walk rate is really low. ERA ratings like his 4.18 FIP and 3.89 SIERA feel like he would have done much better with neutral luck.
He will give the Cubs an arm that can absorb innings for now. He’s out of options and the Cubs are expected to work hard in pursuit of game development before the Aug. 3 deadline, so he may not have his roster spot for long.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
