Travis Wood Signs Contract With Royals: Reports

The Chicago Cubs retained most of the pieces from their 2016 championship club for the coming year, but yet another player has left in search of greener pastures as Travis Wood will suit up for another team next season.

According to multiple reports, Wood has agreed to a two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports and Jerry Crasnick of ESPN were the first to report the story, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports corroborated the reports as well.

Wood, one of the few players to make it all the way through Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer’s rebuilding process, was a solid reliever for the Cubs in 2016, posting a 2.95 ERA and appearing in 77 regular season games for the team.

His strikeout numbers did take a bit of a dip, but with the Cubs not in need of another starting pitcher, Wood opted to test the free agent market and see if he could find a team that would give him that opportunity.

In signing with the Royals, Wood joins a pair of former Cubs that were with the team for their World Series run. Outfielder Jorge Soler was traded to the Royals after the 2016 season in exchange for closer Wade Davis, and starting pitcher Jason Hammel inked a deal in Kansas City after the Cubs decided not to pick up his option for the 2017 campaign.

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