Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Struggling Pitcher Jake Woodford to Minor League Contract

The Chicago White Sox waived veteran pitcher Jake Woodford on Sunday, opening the door for the righty to ink a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jun 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jake Woodford (46) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-handed pitcher Jake Woodford to a minor league contract on Monday.

MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo and FanSided's Robert Murray were among the first to report the move.

Woodford inked a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox in January. After joining the club as a non-roster invitee during Spring Training, Woodford spent the first few weeks of the 2024 regular season with Triple-A Charlotte.

The White Sox eventually called Woodford up to make his season debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 26. He made another start against the Boston Red Sox on June 6, only to get cut loose shortly thereafter.

Woodford was designated for assignment on Friday, and ultimately waived on Sunday. One day after he hit free agency, he found a new home within Pittsburgh's organization.

In two major league appearances this season, Woodford is 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA, 2.400 WHIP and a -0.4 WAR. Across 10 minor league starts, Woodford is 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 1.389 WHIP.

It wasn't all too long ago that Woodford was a promising young arm for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The former first round pick made his MLB debut at the age of 23 in 2020. Between 2021 and 2022, Woodford went 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.250 WHIP and a 1.2 WAR in 53 appearances – nine of which were starts and 20 of which finished games.

Woodford went 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA, 1.741 WHIP and a -0.4 WAR in 2023, however, and he was non-tendered in November.

Over the course of his MLB career, Woodford is 10-9 with a 4.57 ERA, 1.415 WHIP and a 0.1 WAR.

The Pirates have six pitchers sidelined at the moment, four of whom are on the 60-day injured list – Marco Gonzales, Johan Oviedo, Ryan Borucki and Duari Moreta. It remains to be seen if Woodford ever joins Pittsburgh's active roster as a spot starter or bullpen option, but he will give them organizational depth at the very least.

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