Red Sox Rumors: Seth Lugo Among Free-Agent Pitchers Eyed by Boston amid Royals Links

Free-agent starting pitcher Seth Lugo is reportedly drawing interest from multiple teams.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Boston Red Sox "continue to be in the mix" for Lugo. However, they will face some competition, as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently reported that the Kansas City Royals are also showing interest in the 34-year-old veteran.

Lugo spent the 2023 season with the San Diego Padres, starting 26 games and finishing with an 8-7 record, a 3.57 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 146.1 innings of work. He declined the $7.5 million player option on his deal to become a free agent.

Lugo spent the first seven years of his major-league career with the New York Mets. He was deployed as a reliever during the majority of his tenure in New York, and he was a member of the team's combined no-hitter in April 2022.

Adding Lugo would greatly benefit a Red Sox pitching staff that finished 21st in the majors with a collective 4.52 ERA last season. Newly hired president of baseball operations Craig Breslow has made it clear that improving Boston's starting rotation is among his top priorities this offseason.

"I've been pretty outspoken, pretty vocal about the need for us to improve starting pitching," Breslow said earlier this week during an appearance on the MLB Network. "I think that can come through multiple channels. One thing we need to do is understand how our internal guys can take a step forward. We also need to pursue the trade markets and free agency, so we're actively engaged in all three of those and need to figure out a way to have more consistent starting pitching."

It appears that Lugo will have his fair share of suitors this winter in a pitching market that features a ton of star power. He could be one of the most underrated signings of the offseason.