SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Right before the Royals signed right-hander Jason Hammel to a two-year, $12 million deal last week, general manager Dayton Moore sought permission from ownership to increase payroll.Owner David Glass simply told Moore to do whatever he needed to do to make the ballclub better because "we owe it to the fans," particularly after the tragic death of Yordano Ventura last month. 
Moore apparently still has that green light, as the Royals signed left-hander Travis Wood to another two-year, $12 million deal Monday, a source told MLB.com. The Royals have not confirmed the deal, which is reportedly pending a physical.The Royals went into the offseason with a mandate from ownership to trim payroll from last year's record $145 million. But after the Hammel and Wood deals, the Royals' 2017 payroll instead likely will surpass last year's total.Wood has expressed a desire to start and likely will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation behind Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Jason Vargas and Hammel.Wood would compete with right-hander Nathan Karns, acquired in the offseason from Seattle for Jarrod Dyson, and Chris Young for the final rotation spot.If Wood loses that battle, he would be a valuable piece to the bullpen, where he went 4-0 last season with the Cubs and had a 2.95 ERA in 77 appearances.Wood pitched primarily as a starter his first five seasons, two with the Reds and three with the Cubs. He has a 4.19 ERA in 133 career starts.
Jeffrey Flanagan /MLB.com
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