Padres News: Seth Lugo Talks About Role, 6 Man Rotation, Signing in San Diego
Seth Lugo has struck gold in San Diego, seemingly coming across a team that offers everything he was looking for this past offseason. He will be surrounded by a mix young guys and veterans, a winning culture, and most importantly, the opportunity to be apart of a starting rotation again.
Lugo spent the last two seasons with the New York Mets and had a set role coming out of the bullpen. He performed well when given the opportunity last year, posting a 3.60 ERA and 1.17 Whip in 67 games, and did so after recovering from multiple injuries. He served as relief for a Mets squad that was deep in starting pitchers.
The 33-year-old spoke to reporters at Spring Training and revealed his conversations with San Diego's front office during contract negotiations.
"We told them early on that I wanted to start," said Lugo. "[My] ability to start and pitch in relief, they like that -- both those came into play there."
Lugo has actually pitched 300 innings out of the bullpen and has performed even better with a 2.91 ERA. He certainly can be versatile for the team in this sense with his experience at that position.
The Padres recently added Michael Wacha to the team as well and he was the final piece to the franchise's plan to instill a six-man rotation once again. Lugo commented on the effectiveness of having all those players.
"I think it's great, I think it goes a long way. The 6 man rotation," said Lugo. "I think it's a great idea if you've got the staff to do it and we absolutely do here."
Lugo was closely watching the Padres develop over time and specifically saw the push they made in last year's playoffs. He knows he can be a difference maker in San Diego and help them get to the promised land.
The Friars were matched up against Lugo in the 2022 wild-card series and he was able to strike out three over two scoreless innings.
After seeing what's been going on with this organization and this team over the last few years, and what they're doing this offseason, it looked like a great place to come to," said Lugo. "A lot of great talent and a great place to be at the right time."
