Dodgers’ Trade Target Profiles: Seth Lugo Another Sneaky Target

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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 21: Seth Lugo #67 of the New York Mets pitches against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park on September 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 21: Seth Lugo #67 of the New York Mets pitches against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park on September 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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The Dodgers are just a couple weeks away from the trade deadline.  Seth Lugo is the next reliever in the Dodgers’ trade target series.

The fourth of July has passed for the Dodgers and the All-Star break arrives after today’s series finale against the San Diego Padres.  That means the trade deadline is only a matter of weeks away and due to the rule change, this season there is just one single trade deadline.  The Dodgers will continue scouring the market for bullpen upgrades.

One reliever the Dodgers should target is Seth Lugo.  They were interested in him last season and according to NBC LA’s  Michael Duarte, the Dodgers are once again showing interest in the versatile reliever from the New York Mets.  Lugo originally cracked the big leagues as a starting pitcher but has since transitioned into a full-time role in the bullpen.

Last season, Lugo was excellent for the Mets pitching to a 2.66 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP.  Lugo did make five starts for New York in 2018 but he has pitched solely out of the bullpen this season.  He has a 3.35 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season across 43 innings of relief.  Despite the higher WHIP, Lugo has seen his strikeouts increase to 11.7 K/9IP this season.

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Although the Dodgers could use a left-handed reliever more than a right-hander, Seth Lugo is able to get left-handed batters out as well as he gets right-handed hitters out.  This season, Lugo has allowed a .226 average against lefties and a .233 average against righties.  He has also allowed only two home runs to left-handed hitters compared to four against right-handed batters.

Due to being brought up as a starting pitcher, Lugo features a vast repertoire compared to the average reliever. He throws a fastball, sinker, changeup, slider, and curveball.  His fastball, sinker, and curveball are the pitches Lugo uses the most while he will mix in an even slower curveball on occasion.

As far as salary obligations go, Seth Lugo has three seasons of arbitration left so the Dodgers would have three more seasons of control for the twenty-nine-year-old.  He makes just under 600K this season so LA could easily acquire him without worrying about going over the luxury tax threshold.

Next. Dodgers' prospects to watch in the futures game. dark

With the low salary that does mean the Dodgers would need to give up a decent package of prospects to land Lugo.  It won’t take a Dustin May or Keibert Ruiz to land Seth Lugo, but Andrew Friedman could go his preferred route of trading a few lower level prospects as he has at the last few trade deadlines.  While Seth Lugo shouldn’t be the top option for the Dodgers, he would be a sneaky good addition.

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