Does Seth Lugo Extension Shake Up Blue Jays Starting Pitching Pursuit?

The Kansas City Royals took pitcher Seth Lugo off the market on Sunday night with a two-year extension.

May 30, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) pitches during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays might be one starting pitcher short of being nearly unstoppable in the race to make the playoffs.

A potential option came off the market on Sunday night.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Kansas City Royals and starting pitcher Seth Lugo were finalizing a multi-year extension, one that keep him in KC for the next few years.

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Full details were not available.

Lugo had a $15 million player option for 2026, an option many thought he would exercise whether he remained with the Royals or was traded.

Lugo was in his second year in Kansas City and was 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA in 19 starts. He had 99 strikeouts and 33 walks in 113 innings.

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He was coming off an incredible 2024, which was his first season with the Royals. He went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in 33 starts, which led Major League Baseball. He had 181 strikeouts and 48 walks in 206.2 innings. He earned his first berth in the All-Star Game, his first American League Gold Glove, finished second in AL Cy Young voting and 15th in AL MVP voting.

The Royals made the playoffs, beat Baltimore in the AL wild card playoffs and then lost to the New York Yankees in the AL division series.

Toronto’s rotation is made up of Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer. Bowden Francis is on the 15-day injured while Alex Manoah is on the 60-day IL. He is on a rehab assignment right now and could be available to Toronto later this season.

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Lauer would likely be the odd starter out if Toronto struck a trade for a starting pitcher. The left-hander has been solid, however, as he is 6-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 games (10 starts), with 71 strikeouts and 16 walks in 69 innings.

An additional starting pitcher would also give the Blue Jays depth due to another injury. Toronto missed Scherzer for three months due to a thumb issue and he has been dogged by injury issues the past few seasons.

If Toronto was interested, the Blue Jays will have to look elsewhere. It’s likely Lugo’s deal also drives up the price for other targets.

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