Cubs Free Agent Target: Brandon Woodruff |
With the Cubs convention set to begin Friday, it was nice to see the Cubs make at least one more significant signing heading into the festivities. Sure, most fans would've liked them to do more, and who is to say they won't on Thursday or even during the convention as the front office continues its patient approach?
That is an approach that has its perks, as it did allow the Cubs to get Shota Imanaga for much less than he was seeking, but it can also backfire as you could lose out on Cody Bellinger or Rhys Hoskins when you have been in on them most of the offseason. Fortunately for the Cubs, there are still 22 of the top 40 free agents left un-signed, which gives the Cubs an excellent opportunity to address the holes and needs on this team. Most of the holes have been talked about in detail for a while now, but some argue that even after adding Imanaga to the mix, this team could use another starting pitcher or even, say, an Ace. Guys like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are available, but neither seems to be on the Cubs' minds, although the team has offered Montgomery a significant deal. Another pitcher the Cubs have yet to be linked to, and for the most part, no one has, is not only an ace when he is on but has years of experience with Craig Counsell. That is Brandon Woodruff, who continues to search for a new home. After discovering he would need shoulder surgery and is set to miss the entire 2024 MLB season, the Milwaukee Brewers elected not to keep Woodruff around and released him. Free to go to any team, he remains a free agent an surprisingly wasn't listed as a top-40 option which was interesting to say the least. Not being able to pitch in 2024 is the reason, but seeing no one interested in him at this point seems strange, especially when you look at the body of work he has done. I understand signing Woodruff comes with a ton of risk, especially knowing that you won't have him this season, but that makes a potential deal more intriguing. In reality, you could get Woodruff for multiple seasons, get him rehabbing in your facility, have him at a more reasonable price, and backload the contract for next season to help offset some of that money. That makes it a win-win situation for both parties, but there is a lot more risk involved than that. It's no secret that Woodruff loved Counsell and vice versa, so there could be a potential fit based on relationships and overall comfort level. After all, when this guy is on top of his game, he is one of the best in the game, as he has posted a record of 46-26 while sporting a 3.10 ERA. That includes a career-best 13-4 in 2022, where he also posted his third-best ERA of 3.05. Then you look at last season, in which he was limited to just 11 starts and was on base to have one of his best seasons yet. In those 11 starts, Woodruff gave the Brewers 67 innings while posting a 5-1 record and a 2.28 ERA, which was on base to be his best ERA. He did that while walking 15 and striking out 74 as the Brewers were 9-2 in games he started. Armed with a 96-plus MPH fastball, Woodruff pairs that with a 91 MPH change, 88 MPH slider, and an occasional curve to generate plenty of swing-and-miss stuff. His ability to overpower hitters and locate pitches is hard to do, but he makes it look easy. The fact that he has been so good for so long and knowing what he was on pace to do last season, it's hard to believe no one wants to take a flyer on him, especially when he was only set to make 11 million dollars this season. The most significant risk in bringing him aboard is knowing you won't have him this season and waiting until 2025 to see him pitch again. You also have to consider he will be 31 this season, so by the time he steps on an MLB mound again, he will be 32 and coming off a similar injury that Kyle Hendricks came off in 2022. Unlike Hendricks, who can't even touch 90, Woodruff lives off of overpowering hitters, and you have to wonder if this surgery will cause a slight dip in velocity. If that happens, what type of pitcher will he be? Could he still be an ace, should that happen? Of Course, but you're then talking about a NO. 2 or No. 3 starter, and only a few of those are as good as he could be. Signing him now for two seasons wouldn't be the end of the world, especially if you backloaded it for next season. However, given his age and not knowing if he will bounce back to being at the level he was, is that a risk this team is willing to take right now? If they were still rebuilding and not in a position to make the playoffs, they could use him as a deadline target should he bounce back. However, given the goals they have this and beyond, the Cubs are going away from the flyer type of deals and are once again focussing on long-term investments. In any case, the Counsell effect alone is the main reason this is being talked about, and he could be a target for the Cubs this season if he isn't a target for them now.
