Royals starter opens up on talks with Red Sox over the offseason

The Boston Red Sox weren't exactly the most active team in baseball over the offseason, making mostly small moves with their lone big splash being the signing of starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, who is out for the season with a UCL injury.

One player who Boston showed interest in, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo, has been impressive this season, posting a 2.48 ERA (fourth in baseball) and a 1.09 WHIP (20th) while striking out 116 batters (tied for 19th).

Lugo and the Royals made a trip to Fenway Park over the weekend, where Lugo surrendered five runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings of work. Boston won the matchup 5-0.

Prior to his start, Lugo spoke to MassLive about his conversations with Boston this offseason.

“Quite a bit,” Lugo said of Boston’s interest. “Talked to Alex (Cora) on the phone a couple times. Just didn’t work out that way ... They were one of the last ones talking to me before we made the decision.”

The opportunity to play for one of the marquee franchises in the sport stuck out to the veteran righty, so he sought some input from someone with first-hand experience.

“The history of the organization and the stadium (intrigued me),” Lugo said. “I’ve heard great things about playing for Boston. I was talking to (John) Schreiber when we got him in spring training and asking him so I could figure out what it could have looked like, considering it almost happened this offseason.”

Ultimately, Lugo signed a three-year, $45 million contract with an opt-out after the second year, and he's rewarded Kansas City with an All-Star campaign throughout the first half.

Boston's arms have been up and down this season, and Lugo (or a healthy Giolito) really could've taken them over the top.