Report: Wood, Royals agree to 2-year, $12M deal

Less than a week after signing Jason Hammel to a two-year contract, the Kansas City Royals have reportedly added another veteran arm, agreeing Monday to a two-year, $12-million deal with left-hander Travis Wood, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The deal is pending a physical.

Wood, who reportedly received offers from the Cubs and drew interest from the Padres, was a starter for the first five years of his MLB career, even earning an All-Star appearance for his strong performance as a member of Chicago's rotation in 2013, but the 30-year-old has pitched almost exclusively in relief since 2015.

An integral part of the Cubs' bullpen last season, Wood logged more appearances (77) than all but six relievers, crafting a career-best 2.95 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP over 61 innings, his lowest total since debuting with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010.

In Kansas City, however, it's likely Wood gets an opportunity to start again, as the club's rotation depth remains thin even with Hammel effectively replacing late right-hander Yordano Ventura, who died last month in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic.

Tentative 2017 rotation (2016 stats)

In 2014, his last season as a full-time starter, Wood struggled mightily, stumbling to a career-worst 5.03 ERA (75 ERA+) with a 1.53 WHIP while allowing 190 hits in 173 2/3 innings with the Cubs. Wood opened the following season in the rotation, but was bumped to the bullpen in May and ended the campaign with a 5.06 ERA over nine starts, two of them coming in September.