MLB Insider Lists Padres As ‘Best Fit’ For $45 Million Ace

The San Diego Padres are firmly in the middle of a few intriguing postseason races this season.

First of all, they’re clearly in the National League Wild Card race. But they’re also in the race for the NL West as the Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t dominated as much as everybody seemed to expect they would.

The Padres need to take advantage of the opportunity to steal the division by swinging some trade to upgrade their roster.

Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN recently called the Padres one of the best fits in a potential trade for Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo this season.

“Lugo has posted mid-3.00s or lower ERAs for five seasons despite having below-average fastball velocity and good-not-great strikeout rates. His ability to strand runners and limit hard contact comes in part due to his nine different pitches,” They wrote. “With a Nathan Eovaldi-type contract awaiting Lugo in free agency, Kansas City could opt to move him, especially if Cole Ragans’ injured shoulder doesn’t improve.”

Lugo would be a huge upgrade for the Padres. The righty has quietly been one of the better under-the-radar arms in baseball. His season ERA sits right under 3.00 while his WHIP is hardly over 1.00.

The only issue with this idea is the fact that it adds another expiring pitcher to the roster. The Padres are already set to watch Dylan Cease and Michael King enter free agency at the end of the year. Trading for Lugo would mean the team’s three best pitchers could all leave in free agency next winter.

More MLB: Guardians Announce José Ramírez Injury Update After Scary Hit By Pitch