Somewhere, Ron Santo is beaming. Kerry Wood, a longtime Chicago Cub who never looked right in anyone else’s uniform, will reportedly come home to the North Side of Chicago.
Multiple sources, including Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune, report that Wood and the Cubs are finalizing a deal.
If true, this news has to warm the hearts of Cubs fans everywhere. Wood became a fan favorite nonpareil in the post-Ryne Sandberg era, and the team has done its public relations a world of good by reeling in Wood just weeks after cutting ties with Sandberg.
Wood’s rumored demands make the terms of this deal interesting: He had been seeking a two-year, $12 million deal. He probably gave the Cubs a hometown discount, but even so, he may well be the highest-paid reliever in a 2011 bullpen in which he would fall third on the depth chart.
Still, his arrival solidifies the relief corps and makes life easier for the Cubs as they try to shore up countless other shortcomings.
Read on for five reasons to love this deal from the Cubs’ perspective.