Kerry Wood excited after deal with the Chicago Cubs – MLB News
Kerry Wood, who signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs and brought some excitement to the fans, stated on Friday, January 13 that the deal worked out in the end.
The 34-year-old player had become eligible for arbitration and speculations were that the reliever might move to the Philadelphia Phillies. However, the player whom the Chicago Cubs drafted in 1995 has had a long association with the team.
Unlike Carlos Zambrano whom the team let go with the Miami Marlins, Kerry Wood was a player that the Chicago Cubs tried to retain. They were not disappointed with the end result, signing the player to a $3 million contract for a year.
Kerry Wood had also said on numerous occasions that he would not like to leave the Cubs. It was all the more overwhelming for him on Friday when his arrival at Grand Ballroom was followed by thunderous applause and cheers for the player with name “Kerry”
being called with excitement.
"The fans are great, they've always been great to me," Wood said. "Tonight was obviously a little special. My family was here, my kids were jumping up and down. It was pretty cool. I got goosebumps. It was very exciting."
The deal, though, had its ups and downs. While both the player and the team had wished to continue the association, there was an air of uncertainty until a few days ago. But now that the deal is done, he is excited with it.
"It was kind of last minute," Wood said of his new deal. "We got it worked out. I think both sides kind of knew we would. Two months of waiting took probably 15 minutes to get it done, and that's how it goes sometimes. Obviously, I'm super excited to be
back and playing in Chicago."
With a career ERA of 3.64, Kerry Wood has had 86 wins to his credit. He had 178 starts of 436 games he has played so far. However, his job here will essentially be that of the reliever.
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