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2025 Moves: Jake Woodford to Yankees, Brewer Hicklen to Tigers

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 1:33 PM ET

Now that the Opening Day roster crunch is over, the focus — for now, at least — is to see where some of the players who were designated for assignment will go. The Tigers nabbed one on March 28, as Detroit acquired outfielder Brewer Hicklen. The Yankees, meanwhile, signed former first-round pick Jacob Woodford.

Wooford signs with Yankees

New York (AL) added pitching depth on the 28th, as the Yankees signed ex-Cardinal Jake Woodford to a Minor League deal.

Woodford doesn’t have overpowering stuff, nor does he induce a ton of chases or whiffs. His two-seam fastball plays in the low-90s but does have above-average sink, and Woodford will pair with it with a sweeper and cutter.

Jake Woodford Pitch Movement 2024 Via New Baseball Media

He’s a ground-ball pitcher who’s lowered his arm slot considerably over the years. Woodford was at, on average, a 47° arm slot in 2024. However, he’s gone to a very low 3/4 arm slot, which averaged at 27° in 2024.

The White Sox, Yankees, and Pirates all tried to make the former first-round pick a starter. However, Woodford’s operated better as a reliever. Three years ago with the Cardinals, Woodford posted a 2.23 ERA, buoyed by a strong 5.3% Barrel%.

Brewer leaves the Brewers

The Brewers traded outfielder Brewer Hicklen on March 28 to the Tigers. It was a cash deal.

The Tigers, who are without Matt Vierling, Wenceel Perez, and Parker Meadows, subsequently added Hicklen to their 40-man roster and sent him to the Minors.

Milwaukee DFA’d Hicklen, a power-hitting outfielder who made his MLB debut late last season. Hicklen hit 22 home runs and posted a .833 OPS last season with Nashville (AAA).