RHP Seth Lugo and Royals agree to $45 million, 3-year deal, AP source says

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Right-hander Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a $45 million, three-year contract to help their beleaguered starting rotation, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Lugo can opt out after the 2025 season, added the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical.

Lugo is coming off a strong season with the Padres, where he went 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA while proving he could be a full-time starter during what amounted to a prove-it year in San Diego. The 34-year-old started early in his career but had largely worked out of the bullpen with only occasional starts during his first seven seasons with the New York Mets.

After driving up his value, Lugo declined his player option with the Padres for next season and became a free agent.

The Royals have been trying to find help for a starting rotation that has struggled the past few seasons. They filled one big hole midway through last season when they acquired Cole Ragans from the Rangers for reliever Aroldis Chapman, and they hope that Brady Singer can bounce back after a poor season while Jordan Lyles can continue to eat innings.

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB