Royals’ Free-Agent Spending Continues With Seth Lugo, Chris Stratton Signings
The Kansas City Royals vowed to spend money to become competitive again, and so far, they’re delivering on that promise in free agency.
On Tuesday, management reportedly landed a pair of arms, starting with right-hander Seth Lugo, who agreed to a three-year deal worth $45 million. MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and Mark Feinsand initially broke the news.
Lugo will earn $15 million per season and can opt out after Year 2, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
The deal becomes the third-richest handed out to a free-agent pitcher by the Royals organization, behind Gil Meche ($55 million) and Ian Kennedy ($70 million). Alex Gordon’s $72-million contract remains the largest for any player in franchise history.
Lugo spent the first seven seasons of his big-league career with the New York Mets, where he primarily worked as a reliever, posting a 2.91 ERA across 300.0 innings. He also made 38 starts, posting a 4.35 ERA over 194.2 innings.
Last off-season, the 34-year-old inked a two-year, $15-million contract with the San Diego Padres, which included an opt-out clause following the first season. It allowed him to work strictly as a starting pitcher after operating out of the bullpen for much of his career.
The Shreveport, L.A., native logged 26 starts this past season, recording a 3.57 ERA with a career-high 140 strikeouts in 146.1 innings. He was also worth 2.8 fWAR, the highest rating of his career.
Coming off an impressive showing, Lugo joins a Royals rotation that includes breakout star Cole Ragans, Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch IV and journeyman Jordan Lyles.
That group will also likely feature a mid-season addition in Kris Bubic, who underwent Tommy John surgery last April and could return around the All-Star break. But don’t expect to see recently acquired Kyle Wright on the mound in 2024, with the former Atlanta Brave expected to miss all next season following last October’s shoulder procedure.
Not long after, the Royals made another signing, landing reliever Chris Stratton on a one-year deal worth $4 million, which includes a $4.5 million player option for 2025 with a $500,000 buyout.
Stratton split the 2023 season between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, capturing his first World Series ring last fall. He made 64 combined appearances, earning a 3.92 ERA while fanning 81 batters across 82.2 innings.
The 33-year-old righty has tossed 545.0 career innings out of the pen over seven big-league seasons from 2016-23, registering a 4.43 ERA with 504 punchouts over 302 games (42 starts).
Kansas City has acquired two pieces from Texas’ 2023 World Series-winning bullpen, as Stratton will reunite with his former Rangers teammate Will Smith, who agreed to a one-year, $5-million contract last Sunday.
The 34-year-old lefty has compiled quite the postseason resume, winning three straight World Series titles with the Braves (2021), Houston Astros (2022) and Rangers (2023).
After winning it all in 2015, the Royals have missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, finishing last in the AL Central in three of those eight, including each of the previous two.
But with a young core emerging, headlined by All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., better times could lie ahead for Kansas City in 2024.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.