Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: LHP Alex Wood Returns to Los Angeles on 1-Year Contract

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with free agent starting pitcher Alex Wood, who has already passed his physical, according to Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal also reports the deal has incentives that can push the total to $10 million.

Wood makes his return to LA after being traded to the Reds with Yasiel Puig last off-season. He was previously with the Dodgers from the second half of 2015 through 2018.

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He only pitched 35 2/3 innings in 2019 due to injuries but in 839 career innings, Wood owns a 3.40 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 8.24 K/9 and 2.55 BB/9.

Wood spent this off-season working out at Driveline, specifically with Rob Hill, the Dodgers’ new pitching coordinator.

At his best, Wood has the potential to be an all-star, as he showed in 2017 when he posted a 2.72 ERA in 152 1/3 innings. Hopefully, after working with Driveline, he can get back to that level and become a key contributor to the Dodgers’ pitching staff.

Wood is the third pitcher the Dodgers have signed to a major league contract this season, joining Jimmy Nelson and Blake Treinen. All three moves have been low-risk deals that provide a lot of upside.

While this probably isn’t the move most fans were hoping for, it could end up being one of the better signings of the off-season.

NEXT: A Glance at LA’s Upgraded Starting Pitching Depth

Blake Williams

I graduated with an Associate's Degree in Journalism from Los Angeles Pierce College and now I'm working towards my Bachelor's at Cal State University, Northridge. I'm currently the managing editor for the Roundup News and a writer for Dodgers Nation. Around the age of 12, I fell in love with baseball and in high school, I realized my best path to working in baseball was as a writer, so that's the path I followed. I also like to bring an analytics viewpoint to my work and I'm always willing to help someone understand them since so many people have done the same for me. Thanks for reading!

25 Comments

    1. I always liked Wood, except for pitching out of the stretch all the time. In case nobody is counting, the 40 man is already full so either a trade is in the works or someone is going to be released.

  1. LOL Jimmy Nelson and the return of Alex Wood. This was the big offseason after resetting the tax and being promised big acquisitions. Kasten sure was right when he told the LA times big moves were on the way

    1. Off-season is ongoing. Please don’t embarrass yourself by suggesting you know more than Stan Kasten about what the Dodgers intend to do.

    2. Wood is a good cheap insurance policy. They had to get another starter. Hope he is really healthy and can stay that way.

      1. Isn’t that the story every year with the Tampa Bay A’s of Los Angeles? Cheap insurance policies and hopes of being healthy but only 1 horse

        1. Since they’ve won 302 games in three years, those cheap insurance policies have obviously been pretty good.

          1. Oh look it was patient zero what a surprise. Yeah those 302 wins in the regular season you dope. Have those cheap pickups worked out for a championship? NO! So get lost already

        2. Don, notice how all of the sudden a rush of Friedman apologists never before seen come slithering in to try and silence the truth speakers? And ESPN suddenly starts running as many hit pieces to credit Kasten and Friedman? Looks like the Dodgers Thought police are alive and well. Anything to credit their racket!

          1. I have Kirk. It’s sad and it’s probably working on most of the fan base. I always can smell a shiII.

  2. Given the fact they weren’t interested in anyone other than Cole, this is an okay pickup. He must have serious incentives if he is going to carry us over the luxury tax like Kasten promised!

  3. I wonder if he’s going to throw more than 87 mph . also will he go from the stretch where his era was above 4? Or the wind up. Let’s see, by resigning Wood who completely was devastated in the playoffs, you think he can take over Ryus #3 spot in the rotation? So it will go Stras vs Buehler, Kersh vs. Sherzer, Wood vs Corbin. This FO is beyond laughable……. Wheres Kazmir? How about Chad Billingsley? Broxton to close!! If anyone here says this is a good move, regarding what this team actually needs, I suggest taking up camel racing…….

    1. True story: Some posters on MLB Trade Rumors have taken to making fun of some of the whinier posters on this site. How does it feel to be famous?

      1. Anyone can see you’ve been sent here to Try and shove your losing money ball FO nerds Down our throats. Where were you last year after game 5 of the experiment? All of the sudden your this loyal Dodger fan? Go play in traffic Friedman, your con job doesn’t work on me!

      2. MLBTR is full of shiIIs like you. Go back to the hole you crawled out of, it’s not working here

    2. Woods eats up innings and has worked out of the bullpen before. For the postseason I see Urias vs Corbin not Wood. Plus there is no telling who gets acquired via trades coming July.

      1. Hopefully Urias isn’t in jail. But have you ever thought that come trade deadline anyone that would be available to come to L.A. will be just as available to go to the Nat’s? Yanks Astros, Braves etc? ? Why will anyone want to join ” money ball” when they know there won’t be any ” money” going to them ? The reputation of being tight wads is now the Dodger reputation that Friedman and Kasten have trade marked here in L.A.

  4. You’ve got to be kidding me, this is the off-season move we’ve been looking for? I can hardly wait for the World Series parade, who’s with me?

  5. Good signing. I would have kept Wood initially. No superstars needed. We got a team that is the envy of baseball. We simply need to execute while playing.

  6. Good choice ! ( Woods ) Dodgers have what it takes to win it all ,I say again wait until July see where the Dodgers are at , and if necessary they may be able to pick up someone very good to there needs .Only my opinion doesn’t mean anything.Go Woods and Dodgers !!!

    1. Very good or more Jimmy Nelson’s? Because if we want a very good pitcher who can actually shut down offenses in October and go toe to toe with guys like Scherzer and Strasburg we will have to give up the same costly packages that teams are asking for now. But not to worry they will trade for some innings eater with the possibility of upside who’s 3.98 ERA is being talked up around the league and in the news because he can help them get a couple wins in August to help secure that division title before injury

  7. This is a true WTF moment has anybody kept track of just how many times this dodgers front office has brought in pitchers with the dominant thought of, ‘if they get back to where they were, low risk high gain..’it has become increasingly obvious that this front office even though they did have a spending spree at the beginning to win us over but have since decided they don’t need to do that anymore, so MLB please, send us your castoffs, your rejects, your hasbeens, maybe we can get back into the position you were in years back we’re hoping…and maybe just maybe the fans won’t notice that they’re trying to find a 10 carat diamond ring in a Cracker Jack box.
    The one time they did splurge they got a j Pollock and paid good money for another continually broken part

  8. I get it insurance policy, but isn’t Alex Woods’ “funky-delivery” the reason why he had injury issues? So many thing can go wrong with his mechanics.

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