Right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo has agreed to a three-year, $45 million

The Kansas City Royals, a member of the American League Central, announced that it would significantly strengthen its off-season capability after being disgraced as the lowest ranking (56 wins and 106 losses) in the 2023 season. Among them, the Royals targeted starting pitchers and successfully scouted Lugo, which it had been interested in since last year. Lugo had declared an opt-out for the first time in a year at the San Diego Padres and was in the FA market.

Lugo, dubbed the master of curves, debuted in the Major League Baseball with the New York Mets in 2016 and worked as a bullpen specialist until 2022. He played 237 of his 275 games as relief pitchers, and had 32 wins, 24 losses, 16 saves, and 62 holds in 494 ⅔ innings. As a starter, he pitched in 38 games with an ERA of 4.35.

Lugo became a starting agent after moving to San Diego. He also played his first full-time starting season, winning eight games and losing seven with an ERA of 3.57 in 26 games (146 ⅓ innings). MLB.com said, “Lugo calmly took on new roles. When Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove left due to injury, they gained trust by playing second starting pitcher for the Padres, following Blake Snell.”

Veteran starters are being paid a lot in the upcoming MLB Stove League. 36-year-old Lance Lynn signed a one-plus-one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals last month for 11 million dollars, up to 25 million dollars, and 35-year-old Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda headed to the Detroit Tigers for two years and 24 million dollars. Then 34-year-old veteran right-hander Sonny Gray took the St. Louis Cardinals on a three-year, 75-million-dollar contract, receiving generous treatment from all of them.

These are contracts that could be a boon for Ryu Hyun-jin, who is still in the market. Ryu Hyun-jin is also a 36-year-old veteran starting resource, and the fourth and fifth starters in the Major League Baseball are competitive enough to play. Maeda, who is undervalued in durability due to Tommy John surgery last year but has a history of Tommy John surgery like Ryu, signed a multi-year contract worth more than $20 million. In addition, Lugo, who has only one year of full-time starting experience, signed a contract worth more than $40 million, revealing Ryu’s prospects for future negotiations.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who dominated the KBO League as a member of the Hanwha Eagles, entered the Major League in 2013 wearing the Dodgers uniform and won 14 games for the second consecutive year, opening the era of big league success. Since then, he has spent a dark period of time moaning about injuries and sluggishness, but revived with 14 wins and 5 losses with a 2.32 ERA in 29 games in 2019 following a 1.97 ERA in 15 games in 2018 and achieved a four-year, $80 million FA contract with Toronto. Ryu Hyun-jin’s career record as a Dodgers pitcher is 54 wins and 33 losses with a 2.98 ERA in 126 games.

Ryu’s move to Toronto was considered a blessing in disguise in the first year of his contract. He led his team to advance to the postseason for the first time in four years with five wins and two losses and an earned run average of 2.69 in 12 games during the 2020 season, when his number of games was cut due to COVID-19. He also ranked third in the voting for the Cy Young Award, the highest honor for a pitcher in the Major League, signaling a successful Toronto career.

However, Ryu suffered a deep slump at the end of the 162-game full-time season the following year, disappointing Toronto fans. Ryu also suffered two wins and a 5.67 ERA in six games in 2022 before ending the season early by undergoing ligament surgery on his left elbow in June.

In the last year of his four-year contract, Ryu had three wins and three losses with an ERA of 3.46 in 11 games. He returned to the mound in August due to the surgery, and continued to cruise through mid-September, before being shaken up in succession in the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday (five runs allowed in four ⅓ innings) and the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 1 (two runs allowed in three innings).

Ryu is back in the FA, and is now looking for a new team in the stove league. MLB.com said Ryu has suffered from frequent injuries, and although his pitching power is lower than before, he is still a pitcher who can boast his value if he is carefully managed.안전 토토사이트