The Kansas City Royals are on the verge of signin veteran Jason Hammel to a two-year contract worth $16 million in guaranteed cash. It's a move that bolsters the team's rotational depth heading into spring training. 

Hammel, 34, put up a 15-10 record with a solid 3.83 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 30 starts for the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs last season. He also nearly eight batters per nine innings while averaging six innings per start. Not bad numbers for the veteran there. 

Sadly, the addition of Hammel was made necessary after the Royals lost Yordano Ventura, who died in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic last week. That's the harsh real-world reality baseball is faced with after losing both Ventura and Jose Fernandez to tragic accidents over the past several months.