*Photo from Royals Review*
You can never go wrong with too much pitching. According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the San Diego Padres and RHP Seth Lugo have agreed to a two year, $15 million deal. The deal has been confirmed.
This offseason, Lugo was looking to sign with a team that would give him a chance to start, with Lugo having pitched exclusively out of the bullpen the previous two seasons. He finds that in the Padres, who had Nick Martinez in a similar role last year, with Martinez being an important swingman.
Lugo has the ability to miss bats, an important aspect of a pitching staff. Over the last 4 seasons, he's recorded a 29.3 percent strikeout rate, with his curveball in particular good for a 30.8 percent strikeout rate. He throws his curveball 34 percent of the time, his most used pitch, and works in a a sinker, fastball, and slider.
The 2022 season saw Lugo reach a career high in appearances, passing his previous high of 61. He posted a 1.17 WHIP, 3.76 FIP, and 3.60 ERA, throwing 65 innings and making 62 appearances out of the New York Mets bullpen.
Lugo has spent 7 seasons in the major leagues, each in a Mets uniform. Over that tenure, he boasts a 1.16 WHIP, 3.48 ERA, and 3.63 FIP, striking out 508 hitters over 38 starts and 237 relief appearances, totaling 494 2/3 innings pitched. Lugo has two scoreless innings in 3 playoff appearances, including one save, all of which came in the 2022 wild card round.
As things currently stand, the Padres rotation consists of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, and likely Martinez as the top 4. Lugo is set to compete with Adrian Morejon, Ryan Weathers, and Julio Teheran for the final spot, with Jay Groome and Reiss Knehr also serving as other options for starting pitching.
So far this offseason, the Padres have lost Sean Manaea, Mike Clevinger, and Josh Bell to other teams in free agency, with a host of other contributors still free agents. Martinez and Robert Suarez have been re-signed, while Xander Bogaerts was also added.
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