Cubs Land Former 1st Rounder to a Minor League Contract

Woodford spent Spring Training with the Colorado Rockies this year, where he made seven appearances (3 starts) with a 5.25 ERA before he was released in March. The 28-year-old then signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees, where he again had mixed results. Woodford made seven starts and tossed 39.2 innings with a 4.54 ERA for the Triple-A Scranton RailRiders before he was released on June 1. 

Woodford was a first-round selection (39th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. From 2020-23, the right-hander made 80 appearances for the redbirds but he failed to establish himself out of the team's bullpen. 

His deal with Chicago makes it five different organizations for Woodford in the last two years since leaving the Cardinals, and the Cubs pitching infrastructure will see if they can work their magic to resurrect the career of a once promising pitching prospect. It has already worked for Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz, so maybe Woodford can find some success with the Cubs. 

Woodford primarily relies on a sinker, slider, and cutter, which generate poor whiff and strikeout rates in recent years. Woodford also does not feature plus velocity, as the zip on his sinker sat a 91.4 mph last year.