The Kansas City Royals moved aggressively to fill the hole in the club's starting rotation, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with free agent Jason Hammel.
The deal was first reported by Fox Sports late Sunday night. It includes a guaranteed $16 million over two years, pending a physical this week, according to Yahoo Sports.
Hammel, 34, 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 past three seasons.
Wnba
Toliver leaves Sparks
Free-agent guard Kristi Toliver signed with the Washington Mystics, according to a person with knowledge of the move.
Toliver, who grew up in Virginia and played collegiately at Maryland, won a WNBA title last season with the Los Angeles Sparks.
The deal comes just days after the Mystics traded for Elena Delle Donne.
doping
Russian ban upheld
The IAAF is upholding its global ban on Russian athletes and freezing all nationality switches.
Following a council meeting in Monaco, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said Russian athletics should not expect "full reinstatement" before November because of a doping scandal. The decision rules out Russia competing at the world championships in August in London.
