After making the postseason last season for the first time since 2015, the Kansas City Royals are on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.
The Royals are 43-48 and five and a half games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third American League Wild Card spot, making them likely candidates to be sellers at this year’s Major League Baseball trade deadline.
With a little over three weeks to go before the deadline, the Royals’ front office must decide which of their impending free agents to keep and who can help them acquire prospects to build for the future.
Royals May Opt to Trade Pitchers
Nearly every player on the Kansas City Royals’ roster is under contract for next season, with catcher Luke Maile and outfielder Mark Canha being the exceptions.
Neither Maile nor Canha should generate significant trade interest, as both players are expected to continue to fulfill backup roles in 2025.
“If the Royals are going to trade anybody at the deadline, there is a very strong chance that player is going to be a pitcher. It is most likely that it will be a starting pitcher, as well,” Clutch Points’ Cameron Zunkel wrote Monday.
Zunkel believes the pitcher who could garner the most trade interest and help the Royals receive the best return is 10-year veteran Seth Lugo. In 2025, Lugo owns a 2.65 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 95 innings (16 starts). His 2.84 walks per nine innings rank 39th in MLB, according to FanGraphs.
“Skill-wise, Lugo has a lot left in the tank, and the Royals would be smart to move him while his value is at the peak,” wrote Zunkel. “The only problem is Lugo has a player option after this season. The team that trades for him could be getting a one-year rental on a veteran pitcher. Still, he is going to make a playoff team become World Series contenders immediately.”
Lugo’s presence may not instantly make his new team a World Series contender. Still, he is a highly reliable front-end starter who quietly finished second behind the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal in the 2024 AL Cy Young Award voting.
Lugo’s Potential Suitors
There are more than a handful of MLB clubs that need starting pitching help. Zunkel writes that, due to Lugo’s recent success and relatively low salary, the trade package the Kansas City Royals receive should benefit them in the future, with likely one team overpaying for the right-hander.
“Because of the skill of Lugo and his somewhat friendly contract, the Royals should be able to get a good return for him. Being just a year removed from the playoffs, the Royals are still in a position to compete next year,” wrote Zunkel.
“If they can get some MLB-ready prospects, Kansas City is going to be in great shape heading into next year. However, being under .500 in a very tough American League pretty much marks this season as a wash.”
Now that the New York Yankees have lost Clarke Schmidt for the season due to Tommy John Surgery, they might inquire about Lugo’s services. However, their priorities may be finding a new third baseman and bullpen help.
In first place in the AL East, the anticipation for the Toronto Blue Jays to make a big splash is at an all-time high. Add the surging Houston Astros to the list, as the NL West club would have a tremendous top-of-the-rotation with Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, and Lugo.
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