$30 Million Royals All-Star Linked To Dodgers As Rotation Reinforcement

The Kansas City Royals have had a disappointing year. Last year, they won 86 games and earned a Wild Card spot.

This year, they are still in second place in the American League Central, but sit 14 games back of the Detroit Tigers. The pitching staff has remained strong, but the offense has let them down at various points this year.

As a result of this, they could be sellers at the trade deadline. One of their top trade chips could be right-hander Seth Lugo, who is putting together yet another solid season.

The Athletic's Tim Britton, Aaron Gleeman and Chad Jennings put together a trade deadline big board of all players likely to be traded. Lugo was on the list and the Los Angeles Dodgers were listed as a fit.

"Lugo had a breakout season in 2024, pitching more than 200 innings with a 3.00 ERA and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting. Now 35, his surface-level numbers are almost identical this year. The pitch and batted ball data suggest he’s not been as good as a year ago, but Lugo has remained plenty effective. He has a player option for 2026 he’s unlikely to exercise barring injury, meaning the right-hander should be considered a rental."

In 17 starts, Lugo is 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA and 3.1 WAR. He is likely to return to free agency this coming offseason, but a team like the Dodgers could use him with all of their pitching injuries.

The Royals could bring back some solid prospects if they deal Lugo.

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