Roster math is brutal in July, and Jake Woodford just found that out the hard way. The Cubs signed the right-hander to a one-year major league deal on July 4 after he was released by Milwaukee, plugging him in as emergency bullpen depth during a rain-delayed series with the Cardinals. Eleven days later, he's off the 40-man roster entirely.
Cubs Outright Jake Woodford t.co/ce7CQkfU7c
The move itself is pure roster shuffle, not a shock. Woodford made exactly one appearance in a Cubs uniform, getting rocked for 3 runs on 5 hits over 2 innings in a loss at Cincinnati. When Phil Maton returned from the injured list over the weekend, someone had to go, and a guy with a 6.94 ERA in relief work for the Brewers this year was the obvious cut.
This is the kind of move that barely registers outside a trade rumors ticker, but it says a lot about where the Cubs bullpen sits heading into the deadline. Woodford is a 7-year veteran of 5 organizations, a career journeyman with an 11-17 record and a 5.25 ERA who's spent his whole career as replacement-level insurance rather than a building block. Chicago clearly views him that way too, given how fast the leash got pulled.
Now Woodford has the right to elect free agency instead of accepting a minor league assignment, and given his track record of bouncing from team to team whenever a bullpen springs a leak, don't be surprised if he lands somewhere else within the week. For the Cubs, it's a shrug of a transaction, but it's also a reminder that with the trade deadline bearing down, this roster spot is about to get a lot more interesting than a waiver-wire arm who couldn't survive two weeks.