Updated Post – Dec. 12 at 3:02 PM

According to Anne Rogers of MLB dot com, the Kansas City Royals are finalizing a deal with right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports it’s a three-year deal worth $45 million.

The Mets, Braves, and Red Sox were among the teams that showed interest in the starter.

Original Post – Dec. 12 at 12:46 PM

As the offseason continues, the Mets are continuing to watch the market for starting pitchers. One potential arm they have their eyes on could potentially lead to a New York reunion for a former Mets’ starter.

Per MMO‘s Michael Mayer, the Mets have interest in bringing former Met Seth Lugo back to New York.

The Mets drafted Lugo in the 34th round of the 2011 MLB draft and he spent the next 11 years with the organization—seven of which he spent at the major league level. Once he became a free agent, he signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres that also included a player option for 2024, which he did not pick up.

During his seven seasons with the Mets, Lugo was 32-24 with a 3.48 ERA over 275 appearances. Lugo came to the majors as a starter, but the Mets utilized him as an effective reliever starting 2018. He made just 12 starts over his final five seasons with the Mets.

Lugo, though, consistently said he wanted to be a starter. He found a team in the Padres who’d pay him to be one. Over the course of the 2023 season, the 34-year old went 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA (3.83 FIP) in 26 starts and 146.1 innings for the Padres.

Now, with a new regime and a need for starting pitching, Lugo coming back to the Mets would make sense. He is getting quite a bit of interested as a free market, too. Per Mayer, the Braves, Royals, and Red Sox are all showing interest in Lugo, and the Padres have expressed interest in bringing the righty back as well. Some reports show that the Giants are interested in Lugo as well.

In addition to Lugo, the Mets are seen as a lead contender for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. , and they’ve also been connected to Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. It would make sense, especially with David Peterson injured, for the Mets to sign more quality starters this offseason—something David Stearns has acknowledged is part of the offseason plan.

Read our free agent profile of Seth Lugo here.