Ace Pitcher Might Be On Trade Block, Are Red Sox A Fit?

If the Boston Red Sox want to upgrade at starting pitching, a big name might be available soon.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Kansas City Royals could place starting pitcher Seth Lugo on the trade block if they fall out of the playoff hunt. They’re currently 5 1/2 games out of the American League Wild Card and dealing with injuries to their pitching staff.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow mentioned “consistent starting pitching” when he talked about the team’s trade deadline plans.

Lugo has been just that. Lugo has a 3.30 ERA for his career, and a 2.87 ERA since joining the Royals last season. He’s thrown fewer than five innings in just one of his 16 starts this season, and six or more innings in 10 of them.

The righty is also unlike anything the Red Sox currently have in their rotation. He uses nine different pitches. He also mixes up his arm angle to keep hitters off balance.

While his approach may seem novel, hitters haven’t figured him out yet. He has a 2.65 ERA this year to go along with a 21.9% strikeout rate. He doesn’t hand out free passes too frequently. His 7.9% walk rate is right around the league average.

The Red Sox also shouldn’t worry about workload concerns. Lugo threw 206 2/3 innings last season, plus two more starts in the postseason. He’s also pitched out of the bullpen previously and could serve in that role should Alex Cora use an “all hands on deck” approach late in the season.

It’s unclear what it would cost to acquire Lugo, but he’s probably being viewed in the industry as a rental. He has a player option for next season for $16 million. Given recent pitcher contracts, it’s likely that the starter would test free agency after the year.