Woodford In, Morillo Out: What the D-backs’ Bullpen Shakeup Means Now

The Diamondbacks continue their search for the right relievers as they try to figure out their bullpen. The team has signed Jake Woodford to a major league deal after opting out of his minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. As the corresponding roster moves, the D-backs have optioned right-hander Juan Morillo to Triple-A Reno and left-hander Kyle Nelson has been designated for assignment.

Woodford, 28, has pitched primarily as a starting pitcher in his career. At the major league level, he’s appeared in a bunch of different roles. He has 89 career appearances, 25 starts, and has pitched to a 4.88 ERA over 219.2 innings.

The right-hander relies primarily on a sinker, sweeper, and changeup combination. He’ll occasionally mix in a cutter and a four-seamer, but they aren’t necessarily important as a reliever. His four-seamer and sinker average just under 92 MPH but his velo could tick up in shorter bursts.

What Does the Jake Woodford Signing Mean for the D-backs?

At face value, this doesn’t seem like a particularly big move. Woodford had been pitching as a starter in the minor leagues with the Yankees and Cubs’ Triple-A affiliates this season. However, that might not be the case in Arizona, as this feels like a move to fortify the bullpen.

That’s not a role that Woodford has ever really had to embrace at the major league level. The closest data point we have on him is his 2022 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. 26 of his 27 outings were relief appearances, and he pitched to a 2.23 ERA in 48.1 innings. That was three seasons ago, so it’s not a particularly strong data point to reference.

It’s worth noting that of his 64 career relief appearances, Woodford has been asked to cover more than one inning in 41 of them. The expectation should be that he will be doing the same in Arizona. So that naturally brings up the question as to why the team would replace a one-inning arm with a multi-inning arm?

It may speak to how they feel about their current starting rotation. Brandon Pfaadt, Zac Gallen, and Eduardo Rodríguez all have an ERA over 5.00 on the season. Gallen, Pfaadt, and Rodríguez haven’t pitched particularly deep into their starts of late. The trio’s quality start rate is 30.6% (15 QS in 49 GS).

As a result, the bullpen has had to wear it on the chin. If they can’t rely on their rotation to eat innings, they’ll need multiple arms that can eat 2-3 innings at a time. That’s why they signed Anthony DeSclafani last month. I don’t necessarily think it will be that kind of pace where he throws 3 innings every 3-4 days, but we could see him throwing in two-inning bursts every 2-3 days. He has pitched on no rest before, but that accounts for only 6 appearances overall.

When it comes to expectations for what Woodford could provide the D-backs right now, I think having no expectations is the right idea.

What Does the Bullpen Look Like Now?

We can assume that the bullpen will operate as such: Shelby Miller is the team’s primary option to close games. Jalen Beeks will be the top left-handed setup man. Beeks’ ERA is a bit inflated at 4.74 due to having two outings in a row where he blew the game, but sports an 11/6 shutdown (+6% win probability added in an appearance) to meltdown (-6% WPA) ratio. Miller leads the team at 16/5.

When looking further down the list, only Kyle Backhus (2/0) and Kevin Ginkel (3/2) have more shutdowns than meltdowns. Those four relievers are a core part of the bullpen they’ll carry the rest of the way. It will be incumbent on Hazen to figure out the other four relievers.

The onus is on Ryan Thompson, John Curtiss, Woodford, and DeSclafani to show that they still deserve a bullpen spot. Thompson is particularly on the hot seat, with a 7/8 shutdown-to-meltdown ratio. His issues strike mainly from inherited runners, he’s allowed 8 of 19 (42%) to score. Manager Torey Lovullo is too trusting of the right-hander right now, and it’s leading to losses and/or unideal situations with the bullpen.

The unit could look vastly different a month from now, depending on performance. GM Mike Hazen has a closer problem to address, as Shelby Miller isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be on the roster after the deadline. Whether it’s jump on the opportunity to land a closer now, or in the offseason, that should be his No. 1 priority when it comes to constructing the 2026 bullpen. Martinez and Puk are unlikely to throw a pitch on an MLB mound before next year’s All-Star break.

Juan Morillo Sent Down

The D-backs signed Morillo to a minor league deal in the offseason. So far, it’s been a great move for the organization. The right-hander averages 99 MPH on two different fastballs. Overall, he has a 4.01 ERA in 28 appearances.

While he flashed the potential to be a back-of-the-bullpen arm, there are still a couple of inconsistencies in his game. He’s in a very similar position to where Justin Martinez was a year ago. His walk rate is still noticeably high, at 12.3%, a metric that needs to come down.

In addition to the walks, Morillo has had trouble shutting down opponents. He has a negative shutdown-to-meltdown ratio of 6/7. Considering he’s getting his first taste of the major leagues, I’m not going to grade harshly here.

However, his last outing nearly cost the D-backs a win, as he allowed two inherited runners to score on his first pitch. He grooved a 99.6 MPH sinker into the middle of the strike zone and it got slammed for a double that barely escaped Alek Thomas’ grasp.

I personally believe the send-down has less to do with performance and more about availability. Morillo went through a stretch where he pitched five times in seven days. While he didn’t have any particularly taxing outings individually, they add up over time. I would not be shocked if he is back up 15 days from now. His best opportunities to grow will be in the major leagues, and he has the potential to be a difference-maker for the club in the future.

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