According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, the Phillies feel they are one bullpen piece short of a full house and are interested in the service of longtime Cubs reliever Kerry Wood. The 34-year-old Wood has spent most of his career in Chicago and wanted to return to the team, but the two sides have been unable to come to terms this offseason.
Last season, Wood went 3-5 with a 3.33 ERA, holding batters to a .236 average over 55 games. He clearly has something left in the tank, evidenced by his 10.1 K/9 rate; 13th in the NL among relievers with at least 40 innings pitched. Wood is no longer the flamethrower he once was in his early days in the Windy City – however, he’s turned out to be a very usable late-inning pitched late in his career.
It remains to be seen if Wood wants to leave the friendly confines of Chicago, but if he does, there might be a spot here for him. Wood would settle in nicely as an eighth inning option, taking some of the heat off Antonio Bastardo who struggled down the stretch.
