Former Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed pitcher Alex Wood is reportedly set to join the Oakland A's, pending a physical, per Robert Murray. The deal has not been made official yet.
Wood had two stints for the Dodgers. The first was from 2015-18, and the second was in 2020 during their World Series championship run.
During Wood's first span with the Dodgers, he made his lone All-Star appearance in 2017 when he had a career-best 2.72 ERA and 16-3 record as a pitcher.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 shortened season, he was injured for much of the beginning of the year and didn't return until September. Wood struggled during his return with a 6.39 ERA and did not play in the playoffs until the NLCS and World Series, in which he contributed to their title win with a 1.35 postseason ERA through 6.2 innings pitched.
Since 2020, Wood has spent the past three seasons with the Dodgers' rival, the San Francisco Giants. During this time, Wood posted a poor 5.10 ERA in 2022, followed by a 4.33 ERA in 2023. These subpar last couple seasons likely resulted in Wood's free agency market being quiet, and him having to join an A's squad who are well removed from their glory days.
The 11-year veteran has also played for the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, making the Athletics his fifth MLB team. He joins an A's team that has struggled mightily as of late, posting an MLB-worst 50-112 record in the 2023 season. Hopefully for the A's, the 33-year-old pitcher can help Oakland improve their last place finish from a season ago. And if not, hopefully he can at least turn himself into a solid trade deadline candidate for a contender.
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