The Chicago Cubs have already pulled the plug on the Jake Woodford experiment.
After signing the right-hander to an MLB deal nearly a week earlier, the Cubs designated Woodford for assignment following his lone appearance with the club. The move came as Chicago made room for Phil Maton, who is back from his second stint on the injured list.
Woodford’s brief stay was a strange one from the start. He replaced Bryse Wilson on the active roster after Wilson was cut on July 4, joining the bullpen for the series finale against the St.
Louis Cardinals. Wilson got two games with the Cubs, including one strong outing against the Milwaukee Brewers before a rough night against the Cardinals on July 3.
Woodford, meanwhile, sat on the roster all week before finally getting into a game Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
When he did pitch, it didn’t help his case. Woodford allowed five hits and three runs over two innings.
That makes the decision look even harder to justify, especially since Wilson had shown more over a full season more recently than Woodford has. Chicago could have simply kept Wilson, who was good in 2023-24, instead of moving on for a pitcher whose ERA has hovered near seven over his last 3.5 seasons.
The irony is that Wilson didn’t stay available for long. He was claimed by the Brewers last week and has already turned in two scoreless appearances for them, including four shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Woodford’s numbers with Milwaukee before the Cubs grabbed him weren’t much better. He was designated for assignment by the Brewers in June after posting a 6.94 ERA and 1.76 WHIP across 23.1 innings in 16 games.
Now the Cubs are back to leaning on Maton, and they’ll be hoping the veteran right-hander holds up the rest of the way. Chicago signed Maton to a two-year deal worth $14 million, making him the first relief pitcher the club has given a contract longer than one year since Craig Kimbrel in 2019. If this one goes sideways, it’ll be another expensive miss for a bullpen that keeps giving the front office reasons to sweat.
In Other News...
Ben Johnson Just Sent A Clear Message On Bears Backfield Buzz
As the Bears sort through the usual offseason noise around their backfield, Ben Johnson made it clear that DAndre Swift is still part of the plan heading toward 2026. Johnson pointed to Swifts dynamic skill set and the value he has brought over his first two seasons in Chicago, a stretch that has made him one of the more important pieces in the offense rather than just another name in the rotation.
Swifts production has backed up that standing, with steady work as both a runner and receiver while the Bears have leaned on a ground game that ranked among the leagues best last season. So even with the trade chatter that tends to follow any productive back, the message from Johnson was less about chasing a new headline and more about keeping the current structure intact, with Swift still central to what Chicago wants to do next. [Read more 🡒]
Chicago Politics Just Made The Bears Stadium Fight Even More Frustrating
The Bears stadium search has been dragging on for years, and the latest wrinkle only deepens the frustration around a project that still has no clear finish line. After failing to land on a workable solution in Chicago, the team bought property in Arlington Heights and has been trying to build momentum there, while Hammond, Indiana, remains the other major option in the mix.
What makes the situation especially maddening for Bears fans is that the debate no longer feels like a simple question of where the team wants to go next. Political and financial concerns are now shaping the conversation, with Chicago city officials reportedly pushing back on the Arlington Heights plan because of what the move could mean for local revenue, leaving the Bears caught in a standoff that still does not have an obvious exit. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Wilsons Breakout Just Changed Everything For One Bulls Big
Caleb Wilsons summer league run has given the Bulls something they have been searching for, a young frontcourt piece who can score, rebound and stay active on both ends. His debut made the league take notice, and it has also sharpened the conversation around how Chicago wants to build its next version of the roster.
Nic Claxton is suddenly part of that picture in a bigger way, with his versatility looking like a strong match for a team trying to play faster and more athletically after the Nikola Vucevic era. If Wilson keeps flashing this kind of upside, the Bulls could end up with a frontcourt pairing that changes the tone of the roster and gives the team a real path back toward relevance. [Read more 🡒]