Sources: Brewers "In On" Royals Starters Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Not satisfied to shop for pure rental arms, the Brewers are in touch with the Royals about two veteran starters under contract for 2027, according to a source briefed on recent discussions between the two teams. Milwaukee scouted Seth Lugo's start at Target Field this week and are also interested in fellow righty Michael Wacha.

Lugo, 36, is owed about $7 million for the balance of 2026 and another $21.5 million in 2027. There's a team option in the deal that would pay him $17 million in 2028, and which comes with a $3-million buyout. Lugo is 4-6 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 starts, and is pitching better than that of late. Over his last three outings, he's allowed just five earned runs in 19 innings. He doesn't miss bats the way he did even a year or two ago, muting the value of his exceptionally deep arsenal, but his durability and capacity to work deep into games is regarded as a huge potential boost for a Brewers staff in need of an innings sponge.

Somewhat more tantalizing and fresh off a trip to the All-Star Game, Wacha is 35 years old, but has a prettier 3.60 ERA in his 21 starts. He's owed $6 million for the rest of this year and $14 million (with a chance to make another $4 million via incentives) in 2027, and his deal comes with a more affordable 2028 option. He, too, is running a below-average strikeout rate, but he's been consistently able to mute hard contact while filling up the strike zone throughout his career.

These deals reflect a couple of interlinked and important realities, league sources say. One is that the Tigers' asking price on Tarik Skubal remains "unrealistic," according to one source, making it unlikely that Milwaukee will pony up for the top rental arm on the market. Another is that, with the trade deadline coming so deep in this season and the Brewers' place atop the NL Central seemingly safe, the team is reluctant to pay the trade prices even on lower-tier rentals. They would rather do so for a pitcher who can continue to ease their management of pitchers' workloads in 2027 (or beyond), and while their budget is not unlimited even for partial-season additions, they're prepared to absorb some salary obligations in order to pay lower prospect costs for the upgrades they feel they need.

It's been a slightly wrong-footed fortnight for the NL Central leaders, but they still have a strong position in the playoff jostling, and there might not be a better all-around team in the league even as they're currently constructed. Teams with top-tier chips to move will try to extract Milwaukee's highest-value prospects, but the team believes they can make important improvements without setting themselves back in the future that way. The Royals' veterans offer one path to that destination; the team still has four days to explore others.

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[Brewcrew82]

Zero interest in Lugo. He looks cooked. 

Wacha would be a fine addition for this year. Don't think I'd want to pay him $14 million for next season though. 

[Trax]

No harm in talking.   Brewers have usually been very smart at this time of the year, please continue that.

 

NO rentals unless incredibly on the cheap and don't overpay for anyone else either.

We are fine as is with maybe a couple of minor addons when they make sense. 

[tmwiese55]

My memory from STL days was Wacha was a heavy groundball pitcher due to sinker. Not sure if that was or is true anymore, but if so MKE should be a good fit for him.   But yea, if we're giving legit prospects hopefully KC chips in some money to pay that down a bit for next year.  That said 14 mil isn't far off mediocre competent starter pay these days, especially on a 1 year deal. Not ideal, but not absurd either. 

[SF70]

Wacha would be a great addition.

His combination of pitch-mix and outstanding command should age well. He pitches deep into games and would be a nice, veteran innings-eater for next year.

KC can kick-in some $ for a better prospect package. 

[ChapelHeel66]

Wacha is unspectacular, but steady as as a rock, and we could use some of that.  He's a quality start machine.

[RWeeksFan23]

Wacha would be a welcome addition to the starting rotation.

Veteran pitcher that would be a much-needed quality start innings-eater for us.

Model of consistency.. five consecutive seasons with an ERA in the 3s (with each season an xERA in the low-to-mid 4s which is still decent enough)

[Thurston Fluff]

The money owed both of them would fit into the cash over prospects strategy the Brewers used in the past. In a way the money owed is a bonus not a detriment.

[rickh150]

And I Like the idea of trading to other small markets…If our prospects do well there, I feel ok….much more so than I would in a big market.

[StearnsFTW]

Fine as long as they're cheap.  I doubt either will move the needle in the playoffs but we need someone to eat innings.

[Harold Hutchison]

7 hours ago, SF70 said:

Wacha would be a great addition.

His combination of pitch-mix and outstanding command should age well. He pitches deep into games and would be a nice, veteran innings-eater for next year.

KC can kick-in some $ for a better prospect package. 

I agree. Honestly, it seems to me that Sproat gets through the batting order the first time without much trouble, but it's the second time that gets tricky. Bumping him to the bullpen could help out a lot.

Maybe the best deal is Grant Anderson or Jared Koenig for Wacha and a prospect or two from the Royals (Yandel Ricardo and Hunter Patteson)? We pick up all the salary of Wacha.

[MadScientist]

1 hour ago, StearnsFTW said:

Fine as long as they're cheap.  I doubt either will move the needle in the playoffs but we need someone to eat innings.

Wacha would move the needle as far as getting the whole staff to the playoffs in decent shape by regularly going 6+ innings.  He's not going to be another ace like Skubal, but he would help.  

[owbc]

No way we acquire either of these guys. We're going to aim higher. I don't want 35 year old Wacha on our roster in '27 even if KC is paying half his salary. 

However, we want Detroit to think that we have lots of options, so of course we're going to leak that we're "in" on every starter out there. 

[RWeeksFan23]

I wouldn't mind Wacha, but no thanks on Lugo.

Lugo's baseball savant page is hideous.

[owbc]

2 minutes ago, RWeeksFan23 said:

I wouldn't mind Wacha, but no thanks on Lugo.

Lugo's baseball savant page is hideous.

It's worse than McCullers! 

[StearnsFTW]

1 hour ago, MadScientist said:

Wacha would move the needle as far as getting the whole staff to the playoffs in decent shape by regularly going 6+ innings.  He's not going to be another ace like Skubal, but he would help.  

Agreed.  He's near the top of my list but I wouldn't give up a lot for him.

 

Detmers would be my number one choice.