"Didn't he strike out 20 guys in a game once?"

Another club might convert him to a closer, and he might have some good years in his 30s.  The chances of the Cubs showing that wisdom are very low.  The best thing for Kerry Wood would be a trade.  Leo Mazzone would probably like to take a shot at him.

Unless Leo Mazzone can heal injuries, I really don't see much benefit for him.

"Other" Comment:

Looking back on Woods career we see an injury riddled 20's and a HoF caliber 30's. Even though he won't make the Hall, he'll have his three WS rings he earned with the Jays in 07, 08 and 09 when he teamed up with Halladay and Burnett to make the best 1-2-3 starters of that generation.

If you've ever actually looked at his delivery, you're probably wondering why his arm is still attached to his body.

If a Kerry Wood could carry wood, how much wood could a Kerry Wood carry, if a Kerry Wood could carry wood?

Players like Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, and Ken Griffey Jr., raise an interesting question.

Do these guys have any control over how often they get injured or have all the injuries just been "bad luck"?

Is an injury prone label even fair for a player like Wood?

Is an injury prone label even fair for a player like Wood?

Definitely. If Roy Halladay can be called "injury prone" after The Kevin Mench Game, then Wood certainly deserves that label.

Not that I think Doc is in Wood's class. Not at all. If you've ever had Wood (or Prior) on your fantasy team, you have learned the true meaning of "injury prone."

Kerry Wood has been to the DL 11 times during his career, definately qualifies as "Injury prone".

Prior has had some bad luck over his career to date:

1st Injury: May 2003 - Collision with Marcus Giles
2nd Injury: Began 2004 on DL w/ Achillies Tendon Injury
3rd Injury: Began 2005 on DL w/ Ulner nevre inflamation
4th Injury: May 2005 -Took a comebacker off the mound from Hawpe and had a compression fracture on his Elbow.
5th Injury: Current - Sore Shoulder.

Don't you mean the best 1-2-3-4 starters when they added Dontrelle Willis added to the rotation in '06?

I visited Chicago in '98, and attended Wood's first Wrigley start after his 20K performance (it was my second Cubs game - the day before, they lost to the Phillies in such a fashion as to make me think, "Wow, everything I've ever heard about this team is true"). The electricity in the place was unbelievable. Outside, vendors were hawking - and locals were proudly wearing - "Who needs Viagra? We've got Wood" T-Shirts. My sister and I arrived a little late. As we were hurrying to the entrance, we heard a loud roar. "What happened?", she asked. I told her Kerry Wood must have struck out a Brave. A few seconds later, an earth-shaking roar. "What was that?" she asked me. "He definitely struck someone out".

Every time he got to 2 strikes on a batter, the fans - all 39,000+ - rose to their feet. He struck out 13 in 7 innings - 2 in each inning but the 7th. And the Cubs, much to the delight of the locals, won in extra innings on Brant Brown's (later to be traded for Jon Lieber) home run. Walter Payton sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Park" (Harry Kalas, aka NFL Films' "Voice Of God" led the rendition the day before).

I was only 6 when Mark Fidrych had his magical 1976 season, so it didn't register on my consciousness at all. But I suspect Cubs fans view Wood's career through similar lenses, and as an eventual one-time resident of the North Side, I have to vote injury-riddled disappointment.