Dodgers Linked to $45 Million All-Star Starting Pitcher in Potential Blockbuster Trade

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan believe the Kansas City Royals have a 40 percent chance to trade starting pitcher Seth Lugo, and listed the Los Angeles Dodgers as a potential landing spot.

Lugo could serve as a healthy backbone to the Dodgers rotation, as he has only served time on the injured list twice since 2022. He has an ERA of 2.93 in 2025, which marks the first time he has had a sub-3.00 ERA as a full-time starter. 

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The right-hander is putting together another fantastic season following his first All-Star selection in 2024, a season where he led the league in games started and eclipsed the 200 innings pitched mark for the first time in his career. He finished runner-up in American League Cy Young voting and had the lowest home runs per nine innings mark of his career, 0.7.

He has allowed just four runs through 23 innings in June, and is averaging a strikeout an inning. Despite not striking out hitters at a high volume, Lugo’s nine-pitch arsenal gives him the versatility he needs to deal with any batter.

The Royals may be inclined to move Lugo before the trade deadline, as their playoff chances are slim to none at this point in the season. They are in the same division as the Detroit Tigers — who are tied with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball — and are three and a half games back from the final Wild Card spot with five teams ahead of them in the race.

Lugo has a $15 million player option after the 2025 season which he is almost sure to opt out of due to his performances over the last two years, and if that were to happen the Royals would need to pay a large sum to keep him in Kansas City.

The Dodgers could use Lugo, as they have struggled for consistency in their starting rotation. 12 Dodgers currently reside on the injured list, all of whom are pitchers. While the return of Shohei Ohtani helped L.A. in terms of depth, another reliable arm could immensely help the Dodgers in their World Series title defense.

The Dodgers lead the San Francisco Giants by 6.5 games in the NL West, and will look to earn a series victory over the Royals Saturday afternoon.