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The 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than one month away. The Chicago Cubs are one of many teams experts expect will aggressively shop for starting pitchers. Craig Counsell could get just that in the form of Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo. Lugo has one of the deepest pitching arsenals in the league and would be a big addition.
Counsell and Chicago have been surveying the league in preparation for the deadline. However, their starting rotation is their main concern. After losing Justin Steele for the season, the Cubs' rotation has been one starter short. According to North Side Baseball, Chicago and Kansas City have talked about players and their trade value, including Lugo.
“The Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals had discussions this week about a trade that could send right-handed starter Seth Lugo to the North Siders, sources familiar with the negotiations said.”
The trade could be a clean fit for both sides.
“Lugo certainly cuts the figure of a pitcher in whom the Cubs would have interest, and according to sources familiar with the Royals' thinking, the Chicago farm system contains multiple players in whom Kansas City has long had interest.”
After defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 on Saturday, Lugo is 5-5 with a 2.74 ERA. The ten-year pro is in the top 20 of MLB in ERA and WHIP among starting pitchers. Despite Cole Ragans missing many of his starts for the Royals this season, Lugo and Kris Bubic have propped up the team's pitching. Unfortunately, their team has not responded in the same way.
At 39-46 before Tuesday night's game against the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City is in fourth place in the American League Central. The Royals have a lot of ground to make up in their division behind the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians, and Minnesota Twins. If the front office decides that they can't make up the distance in the second half, they could sell at the deadline.
Despite Rafael Devers' trade to San Francisco kicking the trade season off with a bang, nothing else major has happened. A trade sending Lugo to Chicago would definitely change how Counsell can approach the rest of the season. Bringing him in gives Shota Imanaga a reliable No. 2 to lean on in a playoff series.
While the Cubs' offense has been electric, it might not be enough to get them past the Los Angeles Dodgers. The addition of Lugo changes things in a big way. With him, Chicago's odds would get a big boost.
