After a slow start to the offseason, the free-agent market steadily ramped up as the start of Spring Training drew near last month. As the Los Angeles Dodgers addressed their bullpen, they also saw the likes of Pedro Baez and Alex Wood leave within a short span of days.
Baez joined the Houston Astros on a two-year contract while Wood signed with the San Francisco Giants, reuniting with former Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi.
Wood is coming off a disappointing 2020 season in which he went 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA in nine games (two starts). He returned to the Dodgers under the expectation of being part of the rotation, but a stint on the injured list prevented that from happening.
Wood was shifted to the bullpen upon being activated, though showed a willingness to pitch in any capacity asked of him. That was apparent in Game 6 of the World Series when he collected three strikeouts over two perfect innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now with the Giants, Wood will look to claim a permanent spot in their starting rotation. He revealed that he could have joined San Francisco prior to the 2020 season, but passed on a more concrete role for the opportunity to win a World Series with the Dodgers, via Kerry Crowley of The Mercury News:
“On a personal and individual level, it was a decision as far as setting myself up to make more money and things like that, the smarter decision would have been for me to go and be able to post every fifth day for sure in San Francisco,” Wood said. “I knew there was inherent risk, but it was something I was okay with just because, to put it candidly, I thought LA had a better shot to win the World Series last year.”
As Wood noted, he likely could have received more opportunities as a starter with the Giants last season, which in turn would have positioned himself for a bigger payday in free agency.
However, he accepted a lesser role to return to the Dodgers for a chance to win, and it paid off as the organization captured its first World Series title since 1988.
Wood had to settle for a one-year contract worth $3 million with the Giants, but could earn more by triggering performance bonuses in which he records 10 outs or more per outing. He will receive $125,000 each for 12 and 14 outs; $250,000 each for 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24; $500,000 each for 26, 28 and 30.
Wood thanks Dodgers organization, teammates and fans
Shortly after signing with the Giants, Wood took to Instagram to express gratitude to the Dodgers organization, teammates and fans for his time in L.A.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our shows, and more!
