Alex Wood's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Oakland A's left-hander Alex Wood will be in search of better results as he takes on the hosting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. The club's Opening Day starter, Wood was tagged for six earned runs in that outing and has pitched to a 8.10 ERA through his first four starts of the season. He lasted just 4 1/3 frames his last time out, yielding four earned runs on seven hits, including a homer, with four walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals. Wood has struggled with his control via an 11.8% BB% while his ground-ball rate has plummeted to just 32.7%. However, his results should improve once his bloated .442 BABIP normalizes.

The Oakland Athletics have named veteran left-hander Alex Wood as their Opening Day starter for March 28 versus the Cleveland Guardians. Wood doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside these days, especially while pitching for the lowly A's, but he'll make for a decent sleeper option in DFS right off the bat against Cleveland. The 33-year-old southpaw worked in a swing role for the San Francisco Giants in 2023 and went 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA (4.47 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP while walking 42 and striking out 74 in 97 2/3 innings over 29 appearances (12 starts). Durability and a lack of strikeouts make Wood one to avoid in mixed fantasy leagues, but the fact that he'll be a full-time start in Oakland this year will make him valuable in AL-only setups in 2024.

Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said that left-hander Alex Wood and right-hander Ross Stripling are viewed as starters with spring training right around the corner. In addition to Wood and Stripling, Paul Blackburn and JP Sears are at the top of the team's rotation for 2024. The A's signed Wood to a one-year, $8.5 million deal last weekend. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw pitched in a hybrid role with the Giants in 2023 and had a 4.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 74 K's and 42 walks in 97 2/3 frames. Oakland's pitcher-friendly ballpark should help, but Wood has very limited fantasy appeal with diminished velocity and stuff. He'll only be useful in deep AL-only leagues. Stripling was acquired in a trade with the Giants on Friday. He disappointed in San Fran with a 5.36 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 70 K's and 16 innings as a swingman. Like Wood, Stripling has very little fantasy upside.

Free-agent left-hander Alex Wood agreed to an undisclosed deal with the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, pending a physical, according to sources familiar with the deal. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw should be a part of Oakland's starting rotation to open the 2024 campaign after he went 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA (4.47 FIP), 1.43 WHIP, 42 walks and 74 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings over 29 appearances (12 starts) in his third year with the San Francisco Giants in 2023. Wood's days of being fantasy relevant are in the past, although he could have some deep-league streaming appeal in a pitcher-friendly ballpark in the right matchups now that he should be in a full-time starting role with his new squad. With his velocity down, Wood relies even more on deception from his funky delivery than ever before.