Seth Lugo Agrees to Three-Year, $45 Million Contract with Kansas City Royals

Seth Lugo is preparing for a Royal(s) moment…

The Kansas City Royals have agreed on a free agent contract with the 34-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher as they continue to overhaul their pitching staff.

Seth LugoLugo, a right-handed starter, will receive a three-year, $45 million contract that includes an opt-out after the second season, according to ESPN.

Lugo will be a headliner for the team’s new and improved pitching staff.

In his first full season starting since 2017, he thrived with the San Diego Padres.

With a 3.57 ERA, Lugo struck out 140 and walked just 36 in a career-high 146⅓ innings.

He opted out of his contract with the Padres and hit free agency, and Kansas City, which has canvassed mid-tier free agent pitching, made Lugo a priority after a 56-106 season.

Lugo made his MLB debut in 2016 with the New York Mets.

He played for the Puerto Rican national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, winning a silver medal.

Edwin Diaz Agrees to Five-Year, $102 Million Contract with New York Mets

Edwin Diaz isn’t going anywhere…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher, a star closer for the New York Mets, has agreed to a five-year, $102 million contract, pending a physical, according to ESPN.

Edwin DiazThere’s an opt-out and a full no-trade clause plus a sixth-year option in the contract, sources said.

The Diaz deal is the first nine-figure contract ever for a closer, and for the first time, it takes the position into the $20 million-plus range.

Diaz, who made $10 million this year, earned the big payday after a dominant 2022 season that saw him finish with 32 saves, a 1.31 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 62 innings for a Mets team that won 101 games.

New York’s bullpen finished 10th in the majors in ERA, and its top relievers in innings pitched (Adam OttavinoSeth LugoTrevor Williams and Diaz) were among the 131 players across the major leagues who were declared free agents Sunday, the day after the 2022 season ended.

Keeping Diaz is a massive move for the Mets to start the offseason, as one of baseball’s top free agents is now off the board.

Diaz was part of a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners in December 2018, one that saw him and veteran second baseman Robinson Cano go to the Mets for a prospect-heavy package.

Diaz had starred in Seattle, leading the majors with 57 saves in 2018 — which tied Bobby Thigpen (1990) for the second most in a single season in baseball history, trailing only Francisco Rodriguez‘s 62 in 2008.

But his early tenure in New York was anything but successful. In his debut season in the Big Apple, he had a 5.59 ERA (seventh worst among relievers), 15 homers allowed and -0.6 bWAR in 58 innings, as Mets fans routinely booed him while on the mound.

Diaz has righted the ship since, culminating with the dominant 2022. And he’s become a fan favorite in New York, with the hit song “Narco,” by Australian musician Timmy Trumpet, played at Citi Field every time he exits the bullpen before an appearance.