Padres acquire Strahm and Wood from Royals

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres announced today they have acquired left-handed pitchers Matt Strahm and Travis Wood, infielder Esteury Ruiz and cash considerations from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handed pitchers Trevor Cahill and Brandon Maurer and left-handed pitcher Ryan Buchter.  Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller made the announcement.

Straham, 25, has gone 2-5 with a 5.45 ERA (6 ER, 34.2 IP) in 24 appearances (three starts) for the Royals in 2017, limiting opposing hitters to a .236 average. Originally drafted by Kansas City in the 21st round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, Strahm has gone a combined 4-7 with a 3.81 ERA (24 ER, 56.2 IP) in his 45 Major League appearances (three starts) for the Royals. Over his minor league career, the North Dakota native is a combined 8-18 with a 3.22 ERA (90 ER, 251.1 IP) with 304 strikeouts against 81 walks while limiting the opposition to a .222 average. The 6-foot-3 left-hander was a Mid-Season South Atlantic League All-Star for Single-A Lexington in 2015, going 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA (6 ER, 26.0 IP) and a .140 opponent batting average.

Wood, 30, is 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA (32 ER, 41.2 IP) in 28 appearances (three starts) for Kansas City in 2017. During the Chicago Cubs’ championship season in 2016, Wood posted a 4-0 record with a 2.95 ERA (20 ER, 61.0 IP) in 77 relief appearances while limiting the opposition .199 opponent batting average. In the postseason, he went 1-0 in his nine relief appearances with a 2.84 ERA (2 ER, 6.1 IP). In his eight-year MLB career, the left-hander has gone a combined 44-55 with a 4.13 ERA (432 ER, 941.2 IP) and 765 strikeouts against 345 walks. The Arkansas native was named a 2013 MLB All-Star while with the Cubs and was drafted in the second round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Ruiz, 18, has played in 21 games for the Arizona Rookie-League Royals this season, hitting .419 (36-for-86) with 10 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 23 RBI, 22 runs scored and is nine-for-nine in stolen base attempts. In 2016 for the Dominican Summer League Royals, Ruiz hit .313 (68-for-217) with 18 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 26 RBI, 44 runs scored and 13 stolen bases in 56 games, playing primarily at second base. The Azua, Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Royals as an international free agent on July 3, 2015.

(h/t San Diego Padres)