KANSAS CITY — After losing 106 games in 2023, the Royals vowed to have a busy offseason improving their roster, spending money and making trades that brought key pieces to help Kansas City’s young core. I was going to explore it.
This week, intentions turned into actions.
Officials told MLB.com that the Royals signed right-handed starting pitcher Seth Lugo to a three-year, $45 million contract and signed right-handed relief pitcher Chris Stratton in a few hours Tuesday afternoon. Signed a two-year contract.
According to sources, Lugo can terminate his contract after 2025. He has a $15 million player option for 2026, and will make $15 million over the next two seasons. Stratton’s contract will earn him $3.5 million this season, with a player option for $4.5 million in 2025, according to sources.
The club has not confirmed either contract, but both are pending physical review and are likely to be officially announced later this week.
Lugo, 34, has long been interested in the Royals. The team talked with the curveball specialist last offseason before signing with the Padres, and with him declining his 2024 player option with San Diego in November, Kansas City targeted him again this offseason. I was able to do it.
The right-handed pitcher started 26 games in his age-33 season, posting a 3.57 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings, after proving he deserves a full-time starting role with the Padres. We chose to test it again on the open market.
Now, the Royals are giving Lugo one of the biggest free agent contracts they’ve ever signed, with Lugo sitting near the top of the rotation. Lugo’s $45 million contract is the fourth in franchise history to join Alex Gordon in 2016 ($72 million), Ian Kennedy in 2016 ($70 million) and Gil Meche in 2006 ($55 million). It is the second-highest free agent contract (excluding extensions).
Lugo, who distinguished himself with an outstanding high-spin curveball when he debuted with the Mets in 2016, gained starting experience before last season. However, his performance was mixed as he started 38 career games and posted a 4.35 ERA through 2023.
Lugo started 26 of 38 games in his first two seasons and pitched almost exclusively as a reliever for New York from 2018 to 2022, appearing in 239 games (12 starts) and making 329 1/3 innings pitched. A rate of 3.25 was recorded.
As a result, it was unclear what to expect from the Shreveport, La., native after the Padres signed him last offseason and gave him a chance to return to the rotation.
Lugo has done more than prove he deserves a rotation spot. And during a season when Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove were largely sidelined with injuries, he was arguably the team’s second-most reliable starter behind Blake Snell.
Despite never pitching more than 101 1/3 innings in a season through 2023, Lugo actually got stronger over time, starting the final nine games and pitching to a 2.50 ERA. . His last outing of the year included pitching 8 2/3 scoreless innings against the Giants.
Lugo gives the Royals an anchor in the rotation alongside Cole Regans, Brady Singer and Jordan Lyles. Stratton, 33, provides another reliable arm in the bullpen following the signing of Smith.
Kansas City’s bullpen ERA of 5.23 last season was the second-worst in baseball, but this offseason the Royals are targeting relievers who can not only control the zone but also take pressure off young players.
Stratton, an eight-year veteran with a career 4.43 ERA, was traded from the Cardinals to the Rangers last season, won the World Series, and pitched 29 innings with Texas in the regular season, striking out 22 and walking eight. He recorded an ERA of 3.41.
Stratton doesn’t light up the scoreboard, but he induces weak contact and limits walks — exactly what the Royals need. He had a 7.7 percent walk rate with the Cards in 2023, but that dropped to 6.8 percent with the Rangers.
At the very least, the Royals will have a lot of new names joining the team next season. In addition to Smith and Stratton, Kansas City acquired Nick Anderson in a trade with the Braves last month and acquired Matt Sauer, currently the No. 22 pick from the Royals, from the Yankees in Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft, according to MLB Pipeline. Nominated.
