To say that the Kansas City Royals have had a tough time this season would be a massive understatement. Sitting on a 38-58 record and fifth place in the AL Central, it's safe to say they won't be playing in October.
As such, and with the Aug. 3 deadline looming large, most people would assume they'd be more willing to be sellers than buyers. They have valuable veterans who could fetch a solid return for a potential rebuild.
However, it looks like the Royals are overplaying their hand. According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, they will only consider trading Seth Lugo or Michael Wacha for a 'massive' return:
"The Royals, according to people briefed on their plans, are telling clubs they will listen on Lugo and Wacha, but their asks will be massive," read the report.
Not unloading Seth Lugo is a massive mistake by Kansas City
The Royals have always been high on Lugo. They gave him a two-year extension right before last year's trade deadline, and he's slated to make $20 million next season. He also has a no-trade clause and a vesting/club option that starts at $17 million for the 2028 campaign.
Lugo, 36, was in the race for the AL Cy Young award just a couple of years ago, and while he's regressed from his best season, he's still a very solid option. His command and high strikeout rate (18.6 percent) would make him a great addition to any contending team's rotation.
That said, Lugo hasn't done himself many favors in recent games. He's given up a whopping 16 earned runs over his last three starts, and has only gotten past the fifth inning twice in his last seven starts. His command has been off, and the Royals' bullpen has been unable to pick up the slack.
At the end of the day, the Royals have to face facts and acknowledge where they truly stand in the division. Barring an almost unprecedented turn of events, they won't be a contending team this year, and with so many questions around this team, likely not in 2027 either.
While it makes sense that they value their stars and want fair value in return, this will be a buyer's market, and with other hurlers like Sandy Alcantara, Robbie Ray, and Tarik Skubal, to name a few, also potentially up for grabs, Kansas City has to read the room and set a realistic asking price for Lugo.
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