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Kansas City Royals: Travis Wood Signs Two-Year Deal

By Leigh Oleszczak

Oct 15, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Travis Wood throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in game one of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Travis Wood throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in game one of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Kansas City Royals added more pitching talent on Monday afternoon when they agreed on a two-year deal with Travis Wood. Wood will provide both rotation depth and bullpen depth for the Royals.

Dayton Moore and the KC Royals strike again! This time, they’ve inked pitcher Travis Wood to a two-year deal and this is yet another fantastic signing for the team.

Wood, who just turned 30 earlier this month, has seven major league seasons under his belt. He spent the last five years with the Chicago Cubs and was a huge asset to them during their 2016 World Series run.

During his long career, Wood has a career ERA of 4.00, but saw some of his best performances out of the bullpen. That’s where Wood spent the entire 2016 season, throwing 61 innings and posting a 4-0 record with a 2.95 ERA. Wood didn’t start a single game for the Cubs in 2016, but had 77 relief appearances throughout the season.

According to ESPN, Wood spent time in left field during the regular season, so he has experience batting as well (though all National League pitchers have to take swings at the plate). Even non-Cubs fans wouldn’t forget the home run that Wood hit during the postseason.

The Royals have had a slew of free agents inked to deals and it shows that Dayton Moore cares about making this team a contender.

With Wood and his former Cubs teammate Jason Hammel now both wearing Royals jerseys for the next two seasons, the Kansas City Royals will have competition when it comes to who will make the rotation.

Jerry Crasnick, who broke the Travis Wood signing news, also tweeted out that Wood will be competing for a spot in the KC Royals’ rotation.

Wood appeared to be better in the reliever role during his tenure in Chicago, but the Royals’ fifth spot in the rotation is still very much up for grabs.

If Wood gets beat out by someone like Nate Karns or Chris Young, then the bullpen is still a viable option. Kansas City will be looking to get their bullpen back to what it was not too long ago, and Wood could instantly become a great option to have out on the mound in the seventh or eighth inning.

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Chalk this signing up as another win for Dayton Moore and the Kansas City Royals. He’s made good on continuing to add arms to this team after the tragic death of Yordano Ventura and one has to be feeling more confident about the team’s chances in 2017 after their slew of recent signings.

What do you think of the Travis Wood deal, Royals nation? Are you excited for him to be wearing a Royals jersey for the next two years?

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