It sounds like the New York Mets may be ready to move on from Seth Lugo, whether that’s as a starting pitcher or a reliever.
Rumors: New York Mets not talking to Seth Lugo while plenty of other teams show interest
Lugo has played his entire seven-year MLB career with the New York Mets, seeing action in 275 games, including 38 starts. The 33-year-old right-hander, however, has not started a game since the 2020 campaign. Over the last two seasons, he has appeared in 108 games, posting a 111 ERA+, 3.56 ERA, 3.77 FIP, and 1.222 WHIP during that time frame.
There has been plenty of interest in Lugo, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required), with “more than a dozen teams expressing some level of interest” in Lugo for 2023 and beyond, including some who view him as a starter.
While the Mets are hoping for a reunion with reliever Adam Ottavino, Mike Puma of The New York Post reports that Lugo still hasn’t heard from the Mets this offseason, meaning the team that selected him in the 34th round of the 2011 draft may be ready to sever ties with him.
One of the potential reasons for the split? Puma says that the Mets do not view Lugo as a starter and are also likely not interested in offering him a multi-year deal, something that he is expected to command outside of Citi Field. Last season, Lugo pitched on a one-year, $3.925 million deal, and those numbers are expected to go up in 2023.
The Mets have already secured the back end of the bullpen by locking up closer Edwin Diaz with a five-year, $102 million deal earlier in November, so how much more money New York is willing to spend on the bullpen remains to be seen, especially with a return for Ottavino still in the mix.