On December 21, 2011, Wood was traded to the Chicago Cubs, along with outfielder Dave Sappelt and a minor league second baseman Ronald Torreyes in exchange for left-handed reliever Sean Marshall.Sean Marshall trade to Reds official Wood was called up to the major league club in early May 2012 after Chris Volstad was demoted to Iowa because of his 0–6 start. Wood went 6-13 with a 4.27 ERA in his first year as a Cub.
