Jake Woodford’s season did not end the way he hoped.
The 29-year-old pitcher reported to spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays, but was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on March 24 despite posting a sterling 1.23 ERA in Grapefruit League play.
Woodford didn’t fare well during his short time in Milwaukee. He made 16 appearances and allowed 18 runs in 23.1 innings — a 6.94 ERA — before he was designated for assignment on June 5.
The rest of Woodford’s season was even less stable. He spent a month with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate, then was released. He spent a week with the Chicago Cubs, then was designated for assignment. After less than two months with the Cubs’ Triple-A squad, Woodford was designated for assignment again. He signed a minor league contract with the Rays, got into one big league game, then was DFA’d again.
Woodford has been a free agent since September 30. And yet, remarkably, he’s the only man alive guaranteed to receive a World Series ring.
Baseball teams observe a unique tradition. Anyone who played for a team at any point during a season that ends in a World Series appearance gets a ring. The winners can expect to receive gaudier jewelry, but there will be jewelry for every Rays and Brewers player, win or lose.
That includes all 56 men who appeared in a game for the Rays, and all 53 for the Brewers, whether they finished the season with a locker in the clubhouse or not.
As the only man to play for both pennant-winning teams in 2026, Woodford is in good shape.
Never a star player, Woodford is 11-17 with a 5.36 ERA across 130 appearances in a big-league career that began with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020. He’s already achieved journeyman status, having pitched for seven teams at the highest level since 2023.
Woodford might not take part in a World Series parade before his career ends, but he’ll always have 2026 — and a story to tell his children.
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