Cubs Predicted To Bring Royals $45M All-Star To Chicago At Trade Deadline

It feels as though day after day, the odds of Seth Lugo remaining with the Kansas City Royals slowly erode.

Lugo has been great for the Royals for the last year and a half, but he's been such a good return on the three-year, $45 million investment that he's likely to cut that agreement a year short and opt out this winter.

The Royals' brass hasn't said anything that indicates a strong willingness to trade Lugo, but they have to be listening to offers. They got shut out for the 11th time this season on Tuesday to drop their record to 49-53.

It will be of strong interest to Royals fans who winds up winning a potential Lugo bidding war. This team is clearly not that far from future playoff contention, especially if they can pilfer a farm system to add some outfield talent.

On Wednesday, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports predicted that it would be the Chicago Cubs, who the Royas are currently facing at Wrigley Field, who would step up to land Lugo before the Jul. 31 deadline.

"The Cubbies need a starter who can take the ball in the postseason, not just help them navigate the final two months of regular-season innings. Lugo is likely to decline his $15 million player option after the season, so he's a rental, and thus the Royals are expected to cash him in as a trade chip," wrote Axisa.

"Chicago has the upper-level outfield prospects to get Kansas City's attention (can they talk them down from Owen Caissie to Kevin Alcántara?), and Lugo fits their type as a guy with a deep arsenal and not blow-you-away velocity."

With a 2.94 ERA entering play on Wednesday, Lugo has held up his end of the bargain this year. He was an All-Star and Cy Young runner-up last year, and it's hard to let a pitcher like that walk, particularly when he's part of a clubhouse that still believes they can make a playoff push.

But is it the right move for the future of the organization? It will be easier to evaluate that when the Royals either do or don't have a new young outfielder roaming around next season that came to them in a blockbuster.

More MLB: Red Sox Superstar Could Be Royals' Target In Seth Lugo Trade, Per Insider