Royals Reportedly Eye 'Controllable Outfield Help' for Seth Lugo amid MLB Trade Rumors

The Kansas City Royals have told other teams they would need to be offered "controllable outfield help" in order to consider trading pitcher Seth Lugo, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal noted that the Royals, who want to bring back the 35-year-old ace for at least another season, "aren't at that point yet" of committing to trading Lugo.

If Lugo declines his $15 million player option for 2026 and enters free agency, the Royals "not only would consider giving him a qualifying offer, but also believe they would be competitive in trying to re-sign him," Rosenthal noted.

The Royals are missing Michael Lorenzen and Cole Ragans from the rotation and recently turned to 45-year-old Rich Hill for a start.

Lugo, who has recorded a 2.94 ERA and 1.093 WHIP through 18 starts and 107 innings, would further test the already-thin depth of that rotation.

But the Royals also sit 4.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot in the AL, with five other teams between the club and a ticket to the postseason.

The Kansas City outfield, meanwhile, ranks above only the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies at 1.1 WAR so far this season, according to FanGraphs.

One outfielder the Royals could be considering switching out is John Rave, who struggled at the plate early in his rookie season before a recent surge of offense.

If general manager J.J. Picollo believes an outfield addition could be enough to push the Royals into the postseason conversation, and that the club risks losing Lugo after this season, he could ultimately decide to include him in a trade.

Rosenthal reported earlier this month that the Royals were "interested" in Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, but wrote in his most recent report that the two clubs aren't a fit for a trade because of their matching needs for offense.

He added that Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is "attractive" to the Royals, but that Kansas City may need to add prospects— potentially including top catching prospects like Blake Mitchell, Carter Jensen or Ramon Ramirez— in order to incentivize the Red Sox to take on Lugo's potentially expiring contract.

If Kansas City does decide to move on from Lugo, that cost could be something the club would be willing to consider. The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported in June that the Royals knew they would "probably have to trade" Mitchell, Jensen or Ramirez in order to bring in outfield help at the deadline.

The MLB trade deadline is set for July 31 at 6 p.m. ET. How Rave, the rest of the Royals outfield, and the team as a whole perform over the seven games remaining before the deadline could determine whether Lugo finishes out the 2025 season with the franchise.