*Photo from the East Village Times*
Adding pitching help is one way to improve. RHP Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a 3 year, $45 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal has been confirmed by the team.
Lugo is set to make $15 million annually with the ability to opt out after 2025 thanks to a $15 million player option. The contract becomes the 4th largest in Royals history, trailing Gil Meche's $55 million contract, Ian Kennedy's $70 million contract, and Alex Gordon's $72 million contract. Jose Guillen's $36 million is the 5th largest.
With the San Diego Padres, Lugo had a strong year as a starter and opted to test free agency again. He posted a 3.57 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.203 WHIP, averaging 2.2 walks per 9 innings and 8.6 strikeouts per 9 in 146 1/3 innings over 26 starts.
At the start of his career, Lugo served as a starter with the New York Mets before converting to relief pitching full time in 2019. Outside of 7 starts in 2020, he was a full time reliever until signing with the Padres ahead of 2023.
The 146 1/3 innings pitched is by far a career high for Lugo, surpassing 101 1/3 innings in both 2017 and 2018. With Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish both missing large chunks of time last season, Lugo slotted right behind Blake Snell at the top of the Padres rotation. He would have made $7.5 million in 2024 if he didn't opt out of his contract.
Lugo has spent his 8 years in the majors with the Padres and Mets. He has authored a 3.50 ERA, 1.173 WHIP, and 3.68 FIP, averaging 2.4 walks per 9 and 9.1 strikeouts per 9 over 641 innings, split between 64 starts and 301 total appearances. Lugo has two scoreless innings in the postseason.
In the Royals rotation, Lugo joins a group that includes Jordan Lyles, Cole Ragans, and Brady Singer. The Royals also signed Chris Stratton and Will Smith and traded for Nick Anderson while picking Matt Sauer in the rule 5 draft to shore up their bullpen.
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