Free agent RHP pitcher Seth Lugo is reportedly drawing interest from teams as a starting pitcher, per an article in The Athletic from Will Sammon.
Lugo enjoyed a solid season out of the bullpen for the New York Mets in 2022, pitching to a 3.60 ERA and a 3.76 FIP in 65 innings of work. He also turned in 69 strikeouts compared to just 18 walks allowed while registering three saves, three pitcher wins, and 16 holds. As Sammon noted in his article, Lugo has 194.2 innings under his belt as a starter at the Major League level.
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Lugo has mostly been used as an effective set-up man. Injuries forced Seth into a starter role for part of 2020, but he put up not-so-great results and has been most effective as a reliever for the bulk of his time in Queens, NY
In 2018, the right-handed pitcher Lugo made it clear what his desired role would be in an interview with SNY, saying “I think about the future, hopefully getting to that starting role I want to be in, I think I can maintain better stuff than I have in the past. I’m kind of excited to see what the future holds. Hopefully, I can win a starting position sometime.”
According to reports, the New York Mets have yet to begin talks with Lugo and many think that if he gets starter money during free agency, the Mets might not be interested and that is where the Nationals come in.
As we have noted, the Nationals are looking to boost their starting rotation in 2023 and beyond, and the 32-year-old right-hander might be another starting pitcher that could fill that spot.
