The 1998 NL Rookie of the Year went 12-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 28 starts last season, showing the team he had recovered from elbow ligament replacement surgery that caused him to miss all of 1999.

But the 24-year-old right-hander battled shoulder and arm soreness in 2001, going 174 1/3 innings. Wood has not make it through any of his three seasons without injuries, a fact that makes the Cubs cautious about signing him to a long-term deal.

"I think, based on this last negotiation, both sides felt it might not be the right time for it," general manager Andy MacPhail said. "It's an issue of durability."

Wood and the Cubs were at odds late in the season when the club forced the resignation of pitching coach Oscar Acosta. Bitter at Acosta's treatment, Wood complained publicly at the time, but MacPhail says the issue has passed.

"Based on my conversation with his agent, Alan Hendricks, the subject never came up," MacPhail said. "Kerry said what he felt he had to say, and he did what he felt he had to do. The game moves on."

Wood, who made $1.94 million last year, held batters to a major league-low .202 batting average last season and struck out 217. He allowed two or fewer runs in 17 of his starts.

Wood, who tied a major league record by striking out 20 batters in a game against Houston in 1998, has a 33-19 major league record. He was 13-6 as a rookie and 8-7 in 2000, the year after his surgery.

Wood has 582 strikeouts in 478 innings and has averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings over his brief career.

Along with 20-game winner Jon Lieber, Wood gives the Cubs one of the better 1-2 pitching punches in the National League.