Yankees Likely Landing Spot If $45 Million Royals Hurler Hits Market

Can Kansas City keep winning to avoid becoming sellers?

Jul 24, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Yankees hat and glove sit on the dugout steps during the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Texas won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Could the Kansas City Royals soon be shipping off one of their starting pitchers to a much bigger market?

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller sees the New York Yankees as a probable landing spot for another front-line starting pitcher before July's Major League Baseball trade deadline.

“The Yankees might need to do something drastic to combat the loss of Gerrit Cole,” Miller wrote on Tuesday.

New York has only Max Fried and Carlos Rodon on its list of reliable, playoff-caliber starters at the moment. The Yanks will be monitoring the trade market closely to see what arms become available, and according to Miller, the Royals might end up selling one of their veteran starters.

“After getting off to an 8-14 start, Kansas City has catapulted back into the playoff picture with 11 wins in its past 13 games,” Miller wrote.

“Still, Seth Lugo could be a hot commodity if the Royals were to fall back out of the conversation—which isn't exactly a stretch, given the state of this offense beyond Bobby Witt Jr.”

“With a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, Lugo finished second to Tarik Skubal in the AL Cy Young vote last season. He has basically picked up right where he left off, forever keeping hitters off-balance with what is now a 10-pitch arsenal.”

“If the Royals can convince Lugo to pick up his player option ahead of time—a la Max Scherzer when he went from the Mets to the Rangers—maybe they can turn him into a few promising young bats.”

Lugo could slide right into New York’s rotation alongside Fried and Rodon, giving the Yankees three trustworthy starters for a playoff run.

But if Kansas City keeps winning, Lugo might never hit the market. He's in the second year of a three-year, $45 million deal. The Bronx Bombers would certainly pay up if Lugo became available.

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