Seth Lugo Update: Former Mets pitcher turned down Padres' offer in favour of Royals switch, per MLB insider

Right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with the Kansas City Royals. However, as per an MLB Insider, his former club, the San Diego Padres, also offered him a deal, which was declined by the 34-year-old.

According to Mark Feinsand, the Padres offered Lugo a four-year deal but with less guaranteed money, prompting the pitcher to favor the Royals' more financially lucrative deal.

He's not the only pitcher to leave the Padres this offseason as the reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell is also set to depart in free agency. Earlier, they also lost Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees in exchange for RHP Michael King, RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Jhony Brito, RHP Randy Vásquez, and C Kyle Higashioka.

It will be interesting to see how the Padres navigate this offseason if this exodus of star players continues. They are part of the NL West division, which was dominated by the LA Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. The former is healthy off signing two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, while the latter made a World Series appearance on the back of impressive performances from their youngsters.

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Seth Lugo's MLB career

Picked out of Centenary College of Louisiana, the New York Mets drafted him in the 34th round of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs on July 1, 2016, and pitched two shutout innings for victory.

His best season came in 2018, where he pitched 101.1 innings, recording a 2.66 ERA, 9.15 K/9, and an excellent WHIP of 1.18. He followed that up with another impressive season, pitching 80.0 innings in relief and recording a 2.70 ERA.

Lugo signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres on December 22, 2022, with a player option for the 2024 season. Last season, he pitched 146.1 innings, going 8-7 with an ERA of 3.57 and 140 strikeouts in 26 appearances.