Kansas City to add Jason Hammel to rotation

The Kansas City Royals, in an attempt to fill the gaping hole in their starting rotation left by the unexpected death of Yordano Ventura, have agreed with right-hander Jason Hammel on a $16-million, two-year contract, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press.

The 34-year-old Hammel is expected to take Ventura’s place in the starting rotation. The 25-year-old flamethrower was killed last month in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic.

Hammel was 15-10 with a 3.83 ERA for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs last season and has proved to be a workhorse with at least 30 appearances in each of the last three seasons.