The Kansas City Royals bolstered their pitching staff with a couple of free-agent additions Tuesday.
Kansas City agreed to a three-year, $45-million contract with starting pitcher Seth Lugo, sources Jeff Passan of ESPN. The team is also finalizing a one-year deal with reliever Chris Stratton, a source told Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
Lugo will earn $15 million in each year of the deal, a source told Robert Murray of FanSided. He also gets an opt-out after 2025, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Once completed, it'll be the fourth-largest free-agent contract in Royals history.
| Rk. | Player | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Gordon | 4-year/$72M |
| 2 | Ian Kennedy | 5-year/$70M |
| 3 | Gil Meche | 5-year/$55M |
| 4 | Seth Lugo | 3-year/$45M |
| 5 | José Guillén | 3-year/$36M |
Lugo spent 2023 with the San Diego Padres, where he firmly established himself as a starting pitcher after spending most of the previous five seasons in the bullpen. The 34-year-old posted a 3.57 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP along with a career-best 140 strikeouts over 26 starts.
In November, Lugo opted out of the final season of his two-year contract with the Padres to explore free agency. He would've earned $7.5 million in 2024 had he stayed with San Diego.
The Padres attempted to re-sign Lugo, offering him a four-year deal with a lower guarantee than he received from the Royals, sources told Feinsand.
Lugo, who spent his first seven seasons with the New York Mets, owns a lifetime 3.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 648 strikeouts across 146 1/3 big-league innings.
The Royals hope Lugo will provide stability and experience atop a young starting rotation that was among the worst in baseball last year. Kansas City has been looking for veteran pitchers this winter and was reportedly also interested in Marcus Stroman and Lucas Giolito, among others.
Signing Lugo is an indication that the Royals want to expedite their ongoing rebuild. The team lost a franchise record-tying 106 games in 2023 and hasn't posted a winning record since winning the World Series eight years ago. However, the Royals also have a rising star to build around in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who's about to enter his third big-league season.
The Boston Red Sox met with Lugo before he chose to sign in Kansas City, MassLive's Christopher Smith reports.
More context: Red Sox were one of top four bidders for Seth Lugo, per source. Not sure if they were willing to go three full years (KC was, a plus a valuable opt-out after two).
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 12, 2023
Stratton, meanwhile, will receive a player option for 2025 as part of his contract, Rogers reports. He'll earn $3.5 million in 2024, while the player option is worth $4.5 million if exercised, a source told Feinsand.
The 33-year-old right-hander appeared in 64 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers last season, posting a 3.92 ERA and 3.53 FIP along with 81 strikeouts and one save. Stratton, a nine-year big-league veteran, earned a World Series ring with Texas after joining the team in a midseason trade, although he allowed four earned runs in four innings during the postseason.
