The MLB trade deadline is inching closer with every passing day, meaning there is always time to speculate who could be on the move this season. There are always the obvious candidates on bad teams, but there are also always surprises.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller has listed eight of his surprise trade deadline candidates, and one of those is a pitcher from the Kansas City Royals, a team that took its best swing at the New York Yankees in the ALDS last season.
Right-hander Seth Lugo is the player listed by Miller, and while that may be a questionable decision and prediction, Miller does a good job of explaining why he lists Lugo and what the upside of a trade for Kansas City could look like.
“When late July rolls around, good luck finding a team that isn’t looking to upgrade/fill at least one of the spots in its rotation. If the Royals can convince Lugo to pick up his player option ahead of time — a la Max Scherzer when he went from the Mets to the Rangers — maybe they can turn him into a few promising young bats,” Miller wrote.
When healthy, Lugo has been a workhorse on the mound. Last season, he faced an AL high of 836 batters during the season. Even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he can eat innings and save a couple of bullpen arms. He’s pitched to an ERA of 2.84 with 37 strikeouts across eight starts and 50 2/3 innings pitched so far this season, good for second most in the major leagues.
It may not make a ton of sense for Kansas City to move off of Lugo, especially if it is in the middle of a division title race when the trade deadline rolls around. If, however, the Royals do fall out of contention prior to the trade deadline and can get Lugo to pick up on his player option as Miller mentioned, they could get a nice return back for a pitcher who could be extremely valuable to someone’s run to the postseason.
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