Looking to trim from their excess of starting pitchers and outfielders, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded Kyle Farmer, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig and Alex Wood to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for the salary of Homer Bailey and prospects Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray.
Wood is the lone pitcher heading back to Cincinnati in the deal, as he was viewed expendable given Los Angeles’ depth in the starting rotation. He would’ve struggled to crack the top-five due to the returns of Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu and emergence of Walker Buehler.
Wood is projected to earn $9 million next season through the salary-arbitration process, which marked the second-highest figure for any Dodgers player before the trade.
Entering his age-28 campaign, the left-hander brings a veteran presence to a relatively young Reds pitching staff. He’s scheduled to become a free agent following the 2019 season.
A vital part to the Dodgers’ success in recent years, Wood expressed his gratitude to the organization, former teammates and fanbase in a heartfelt Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brq-RCUg0qG/
Acquired from the Atlanta Braves prior to the non-waiver trade deadline in 2015, Wood spent parts of four seasons with the Dodgers. In 86 games (74 starts), he accrued a 31-20 record, 3.46 ERA, 3.50 FIP and 1.17 WHIP with 401 strikeouts over 434.2 innings pitched.
Like Wood, former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig also took to social media to thank the Los Angeles faithful for their support over the years.
