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The Royals have signed veteran right-hander Jason Hammel to a two-year contract that includes an option for a third year. According to Jon Heyman, the contract will pay Hammel $5 million for 2017 and $9 million for 2018 along with a $12 million option/$2 million buyout for 2019.

Hammel, 34, is coming off a 2016 season in which he pitched to a 3.83 ERA (105 ERA+) and 2.72 K/BB ratio in 30 starts for the Cubs. For his career, he owns an ERA+ of 97 and a K/BB ratio of 2.48 across parts of 11 big-league seasons. Of his 306 career games, 248 have been starts.

As for the Royals, they badly needed rotation depth after the free agent departure of Edinson Volquez to the Marlins and the tragic death of Yordano Ventura. Hammel is far from an optimal solution, but he's the best they could do on the free agent market at this late hour.