According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, it looks like Travis Wood will be joining Jason Hammel in Kansas City. Jon Heyman reported that it will be a two-year deal.
Travis Wood is signing with the #royals, source says.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) February 13, 2017
Travis Wood Signs With Kansas City Royals
The 30 year-old has spent the last five seasons with the Cubs after spending his first two MLB seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. A former full-time starter who has spent much of the last two seasons in the Cubs bullpen, Wood is coming off a season in which he made no starts for the first time in his career.
Although his permanent move to the bullpen in 2015 supported taking his performance to another level, Wood is expected to compete for in the Royals starting rotation. As a reliever, he pitched 124 innings with a 2.83 ERA. As a starter, in 776 innings, he has recorded a 4.19 ERA with a .725 OPS.
Travis Wood is expected to compete for a spot in #royals starting rotation, according to source.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) February 13, 2017
His stats do point to a reliever role making more sense, but his history as a starter and versatility in the back of the rotation could prove to be just what the Royals need to bolster their overall starting pitching.
The left-hander is the third Chicago Cub to join Kansas City this off-season, along with outfielder Jorge Soler and starting pitcher Jason Hammel. Perhaps this is a sign that the Royals are determined to get back to their winning ways in 2017. They missed the playoffs last year after two straight World Series appearances.
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