Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote this morning that the Royals are “surprisingly aggressive in trying to add starting pitching” and this afternoon he named a specific free agent the Royals are pursuing - Seth Lugo.
The Royals reportedly pursued Lugo last off-season before he signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal with the Padres. He flourished as a full-time starter with the Padres, posting a 3.57 ERA in 26 starts with a career-high 140 strikeouts in 146 1⁄3 innings, a 2.8 fWAR season. His 6 percent walk rate was the 19th-lowest among all pitchers with at least 100 innings.