The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo are in agreement on a multiyear extension, a league source confirmed Sunday to The Athletic\u2019s Ken Rosenthal. When official, the move will take off the board one of the trade deadline\u2019s most desirable potential targets.<\/p>\n
Lugo, who signed a two-year deal with the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, with a $15 million player option for 2026, was primed to not only be one of the most prominent names thought to be available leading into Thursday\u2019s deadline, but also potentially a top target over the winter free-agency period. Instead, the extension will help him stick in Kansas City, where he\u2019s posted a 2.95 ERA over 19 starts this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a much better team with Seth Lugo here than not here,\u201d Royals president J.J. Picollo said over the weekend. \u201cWhether that\u2019s just \u201925 or \u201926, if you move a guy like Seth Lugo, you better be really sure that you\u2019re getting something back that makes this team significantly better. You take a guy like that out of your rotation, you\u2019re not the same team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lugo\u2019s extension is worth a guaranteed $46 million over the two years, The Athletic\u2019s Will Sammon confirmed. It\u2019ll pay Lugo $20 million each in 2026 and 2027, with a vesting option worth $20 million or club option at $17 million. Additionally, Lugo will get a $3 million signing bonus, along with a $3 million buyout if either option is declined.<\/p>\n
Lugo made his first All-Star team at 34 years old, finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting last year and anchored a rotation that paved the way for Kansas City\u2019s first playoff appearance since the club\u2019s World Series-winning season of 2015.<\/p>\n
He posted a 3.00 ERA across 206 2\/3 innings and made a pair of solid starts in October.<\/p>\n
During that same discussion with reporters, Picollo hinted at a potential extension for Lugo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows what\u2019s going on,\u201d Picollo said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to comment about extensions, but he knows our desire to have him in a Royals uniform, obviously, not just talking about his current contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows our desires. But that\u2019s something that we internally have talked about, and I think it makes a lot of sense for us. When you sign guys to extensions, there\u2019s one thing that has to be prevalent. They need to want to be here, and they need to want to be a part of this. I feel pretty confident that Seth does, but we\u2019ll just see where that takes us.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the Royals, they won 86 games last season, blitzed past Baltimore in the wild-card round and offered the New York Yankees a fight in the ALDS. They haven\u2019t recaptured that magic, though. Their rotation remains a strength, as the emergence of Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron has compensated for Cole Ragans\u2019 injury-riddled campaign. Keeping Lugo long-term helps ensure it continues to be a strength, even as the 52-54 Royals flounder between contention, having just put Bubic on the IL. That came a day after Jac Caglianone landed on the IL as well.<\/p>\n