Rumored Cubs trade target shocks everyone, signing a surprise multi-year extension

On the same day the Kansas City Royals placed left-hander Kris Bubic on the injured list with a shoulder issue, taking him off the list of potential trade candidates, his teammate Seth Lugo has removed himself from that list, as well, albeit in a very different way.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Lugo and the Kansas City Royals have come to terms on a contract extension - meaning not only will he not be traded this week, but he will no longer hit the open market at season's end, when he was poised to be an attractive option for teams in need of starting pitching.

Cubs will have to find their pitching elsewhere at the trade deadline

Lugo has been a revelation since joining the Royals before the 2024 campaign. The Cy Young runner-up to Tarik Skubal in the American League last season, the veteran has pitched to a 2.98 ERA in nearly 320 innings of work and, for that reason, was drawing widespread interest ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

This season, he's matched what he did in 2024 almost down to the smallest detail. In 19 starts, he has a 2.95 ERA and 1.088 WHIP - although FIP and xERA suggest regression could rear its ugly head at any time.

It's a curious move, to say the least, for a Royals team 8 1/2 games out in the AL Central, despite Detroit's recent free-fall, and four back of the final wild card spot. He turns 36 in November and, as great as he's been, multi-year deals for pitchers on the wrong side of 35 are always high-risk.

As far as the Cubs are concerned, that's two pitchers off the board in the span of a day - not to mention Erick Fedde getting traded from St. Louis to Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, as well. Chicago definitely needs one big arm - and a second mid-tier addition would hardly be the worst thing in the world.

The Cubs and Brewers enter the week tied for first in the NL Central, with a huge three-game set at American Family Field kicking off Monday night in Milwaukee. It remains to be seen if Jed Hoyer will make that big trade before the series wraps up on Wednesday, but one thing's for sure: those reinforcements aren't coming from the Kansas City Royals.