The San Diego Padres and right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo have agreed to a two-year contract, worth over $15 million with an opt-out after 2023, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.
Lugo joins San Diego after spending the first seven years of his career with the New York Mets.
The 33-year-old made 62 appearances for the Mets in 2022, throwing 65 innings with a 3.60 ERA out of the bullpen.
With the Padres, Lugo will make the transition to the starting rotation. He has made 38 starts in his career, the last of which came in 2020.
He has thrown 494.2 innings in his career with a 3.48 ERA and 508 strikeouts.
On Sunday, Heyman reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals were also vying for the Louisiana native’s services.
Lugo will join a Padres team that has been active this off-season, offering contracts to Aaron Judge and Trea Turner and signing four-time all-star Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal.
San Diego reached the NCLS in 2022, after knocking out Lugo’s Mets, eventually losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.