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The Royals delivered one of the biggest surprises of the MLB trade deadline, and it could have a direct benefit for the Baltimore Orioles. Despite the fact that Seth Lugo was one of the top rental starting pitchers seemingly available on the trade market, the Royals announced on Sunday that they have agreed to a two-year contract extension with Lugo.
Lugo is set to earn $46MM across the 2026 and 2027 seasons, and has a vesting option for the 2028 season. A truly head-scratching moment for the Royals, who could have moved Lugo at the deadline, and then brought him back in the offseason, considering his current contract had a $15MM player option after the season. With the way Lugo is pitching this season, 2.95 ERA through 113 innings pitched, he was likely going to test free agency, assuming health.
With Lugo's name now crossed off as a potential trade target for contending teams at the deadline, there will be more attention paid to the Orioles and their looming sell-off ahead of Thursday.
These Orioles names look more tradable after Seth Lugo signing
Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks now looks to be the best rental starting pitcher available ahead of the deadline, but the Orioles could be the team that benefits the most from Lugo being taken off the trade market. As the deadline approaches, the Orioles have three starting pitchers who are free agents after this season--Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin, and Tomoyuki Sugano.
Of the three, Morton seems almost certain to be moved. Sure, Morton has a 5.48 ERA on the season, but since May 14, the mark comes down to 3.65 with the veteran striking out over 25 percent of the hitters he faced. As contending teams scour for starting pitching, Morton feels like an ideal fallback option for contenders.
Eflin and Sugano don't feel like locks to be moved ahead of the deadline, but dwindling options could create desperation. For teams like the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros, they may feel they have the pitching infrastructure to get the most out of either of those two starting pitchers looking for a change of scenery.