$30 Million Royals All-Star Starter Linked To Cardinals Ahead Of Trade Deadline

The Kansas City Royals are trending towards being sellers at the trade deadline. They have lost five consecutive games overall and 10 straight games at Kauffman Stadium.

At 38-43, they are still alive in the American League Wild Card race, but are essentially buried in the AL Central, as the Detroit Tigers have a major advantage.

Kansas City has come crashing back down to earth after winning 86 games last season and earning a Wild Card. If they do sell, right-hander Seth Lugo could be on the way out.

Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated listed Lugo as a trade candidate, and the Royals' cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals were listed as a fit.

"Lugo doesn’t strike out a ton of hitters, but he hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.60 since 2020 and quietly finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year while winning a Gold Glove to boot. The 35-year-old also fared well in two playoff starts last season. The converted reliever would improve just about any postseason rotation and the Royals may feel obliged to deal Lugo ahead of his looming free agency if MLB’s lowest-scoring offense doesn’t perk up in the coming weeks," Selbe wrote.

The Royals could potentially bring back a solid haul for the 35-year-old right-hander at the trade deadline. St. Louis has a few interesting prospects that Kansas City might want, such as Thomas Saggese, Jimmy Crooks, and Leonardo Bernal.

This would set the Royals up well for the future and potentially give them an offensive piece that could help them going forward.

More MLB: Royals Could Cut Ties With Likely All-Star Pitcher, Suggests MLB Insider