Report: A’s to sign former Giants starter Alex Wood

Wood spent the last three seasons with the Giants

After three seasons in the Bay Area with the Giants, veteran pitcher Alex Wood is extending his stay.

Wood, 33, agreed to sign with the Oakland Athletics, according to a report by Fansided’s Robert Murray. The immediate terms of the deal, which is pending a physical, weren’t immediately publicized.

Wood is poised to start his 12th MLB season with the A’s. He was an All-Star in 2017 and helped the Dodgers to their 2020 World Series title. For the past three seasons, Wood has appeared in 81 games, going 23-21 with a 4.41 ERA primarily as a starter.

Wood was a key part of San Francisco’s 107-win season, exhibiting a knack for stepping up after the team had lost a game. In Game 3 of the 2021 NLDS, he shut out the Dodgers in a 1-0 Giants win.

As a Giant, Wood started all 52 of his games in 2021 and 2022. But struggles last season, particularly with his command, led to him being used in a bullpen role.

Strict third-time-through-the-order rules have applied to Wood for much of his career, capping his ceiling at mid-rotation starter. He’s known to be liked in clubhouses and should bring some veteran presence to the Athletics.

In Oakland, the lefty is likely to join JP Sears, Mason Miller, Paul Blackburn and Ken Waldichuk in the rotation.

If the deal goes through, Wood represents the Athletics’ second major league signing of the offseason, as they inked pitcher Trevor Gott to a one-year deal. In what’s likely to be their last year in Oakland, the A’s have no sights on competing for the playoffs, so they could look to flip Wood for prospect capital at the deadline should he perform well.