Royals sign RHP Jason Hammel to two-year contract
By Ted Fleming
Hammel, 34, is coming off a pair of solid seasons and a World Series title with the Chicago Cubs.
The Kansas City Royals announced today that they signed Jason Hammel to a two-year contract for a reported $16 million (first reported by the KipsapSun), with a mutual option for 2019. Originally drafted in the 10th round of the 2002 draft by the then-named Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the 34-year old right-hander has a career 84-87 record with a 4.42 ERA.
Hammel spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Cubs with a side stop in Oakland as part of the deal that sent Jeff Samardzija to the Athletics. He returned after the season, signing a two-year deal, and put up solid numbers in the Windy City going 33-22 with a solid 3.59 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Since breaking into the majors in 2006, he has also pitched for Tampa Bay, Colorado and Baltimore.
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As the Cubs were on their way to becoming World Series champions last year, Hammel posted a career-best 15 wins with a 3.83 ERA, sixth-best in the National League.
The Greenville, SC native started 30 games last year and allowed one run or less in 13 of them and three or less in 23. Hammel had the third-fewest pitches per start (87.4) in the National League, throwing 100 pitches on seven occasions with the Cubs winning each of those outings.
Kansas City has been looking to add an innings-eating pitcher to the rotation hoping to fill the void left when righty Yordano Ventura died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic last month. Hammel will join Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy and any combination of Jason Vargas, Chris Young, Nathan Karns and Matt Strahm on a squad hoping to return to the playoffs.
The Royals, coming off a World Series title in 2015, finished a .500 team a year ago after playing in the Fall Classic the previous two years.