Travis Wood

Wood was relegated to bullpen work in 2015 and 2016, and then saw his innings cut significantly with the Cubs' midseason additions of Aroldis Chapman, Mike Montgomery and Joe Smith. Wood is now a free agent, and he may seek to leave the Cubs and pursue an opportunity as a starting pitcher. At face value, Wood's 2.95 ERA and 1.13 WHIP look strong, but there are reasons to believe he may experience some regression in the future, as he held a relatively low strikeout rate of 6.93 K/9 and high 3.54 BB/9 walk rate to go along with 1.2 home runs allowed per nine innings. These numbers were reflected in his high 4.59 FIP. In 2014, his last full season as a starter, he finished with a 5.03 ERA and 1.53 WHIP, so he may be better suited for a role in the bullpen. After signing with the Royals over the offseason, it remains to be seen whether he'll spend 2017 as a starter or as a reliever, although things seem to be trending toward the latter.

Wood's days as a starter may be over, as a 5.03 ERA in 2014 and a 5.59 ERA in his first seven starts in 2015 forced the Cubs to find a better option. He took to his new role well. In 45 games as a reliever last year, Wood struck out 71 (in 58 innings) and recorded a 2.95 ERA and 1.207 WHIP. What was the main difference? The long ball, as he gave up nine home runs in his nine starts (42.2 innings) and only two as a reliever. Though his K/BB was much better as a starter (3.92 to 2.63), Wood's future looks to be in the bullpen, as he was trusted in many key situations in the postseason. In six playoff appearances last year, Wood has a 12:1 K:BB. Not bad for a former mediocre starter.

We warned you last year that Wood's 2013 numbers were a mirage. An abnormally low BABIP and a high strand rate contributed to a career year for Wood, but when things were tweaked even a little bit, like in 2014, things went south in a hurry. Wood's strikeout rate went up, but so did his walk and home-run rates. With Jon Lester signing with the Cubs in the offseason, Wood is holding onto his rotation spot by a thread. He may want to leave 2014 off his résumé.

Wood's second year in Chicago made him out to be a rather interesting fantasy find. While the 144 strikeouts, 3.11 ERA and 1.15 WHIP were easily career bests and he cut his home run rate nearly in two (from 1.44 in 2012 to 0.81 last year), he still won just nine games, thanks to the usual run support. In addition to the low win total, there's the even-lower BABIP, which has hovered around .250 in both of the last two years. His 75.8 percent strand rate contributed to the fine ERA as well. When the correction comes, make sure he's on someone else's team.

After starting the year in the minors, Wood got the call in May and turned in a serviceable season with 119 strikeouts and 54 walks in 156 innings, a 4.27 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Wood's flyball tendencies resulted in 25 long balls, and that could be a problem if his .252 BABIP normalizes. Nonetheless, Wood should be considered the frontrunner to open the season as the team's fifth starter following the addition of Scott Baker and Scott Feldman via free agency.

When Wood struggled in 2011, frequently it would be when he couldn't throw his offspeed pitches for strikes or get opposing hitters to chase outside of the strike zone. If there was an umpire that wouldn't give him the marginal calls, he'd frequently fall behind, then have to challenge hitters in the strike zone with his 89-90 mph fastball. That, and his propensity to give up flyballs in a ballpark that doesn't reward flyball pitchers made for a pretty bad combination. If Wood can get back to throwing his breaking pitches for strikes, he has a future as a starter. That opportunity should be easier to come by following the Reds' decision to trade him to the Cubs as part of the Sean Marshall deal in December.

Wood lost out on the fifth starter's job to Mike Leake in spring training, but didn't let that deter him from building off of a strong 2009 season. Once he made it to the Reds, he was extremely reliable for two months before slowing down in September. However, a strong relief outing against the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS loss in the Roy Halladay no-hitter game reminded Reds fans of his potential. That said, his spot in the starting rotation to begin 2011 isn't secure. Either he, Homer Bailey or Mike Leake will be on the outside looking in. The guess here is that Wood wins the spot ahead of Leake.

At the time of his promotion from Double-A Carolina to Triple-A Louisville in July, Wood led all qualifying minor league pitchers with a 1.21 ERA in 119 innings. He was a second-round pick in 2005, but a shoulder injury in 2007 scuttled his progress as a prospect, and it looked as if he had hit a wall last year at Double-A. But now that he's fully healthy again, he's established himself as a legitimate prospect, albeit one that needs some time to acclimate to each step up the ladder. He'll begin 2010 at Louisville, but don't be surprised if he gets a midseason callup.

Wood did well to hold his own as a 19-year-old for low-A Dayton this year, after getting drafted in the second round in 2005. All the usual caveats about young pitching prospects apply with Wood, but at the very least the Reds have another pitcher worth tracking in their system.

Taken in the second round of the 2005 draft, Wood dominated rookie ball right out of the box, striking out 45 batters in 24 innings in the Gulf Coast League. It's a long trek from rookie ball to the major leagues, particularly for a 19-year old, so keep your expectations in check, but also follow his progress closely as he advances up the farm system.