Padres News: Seth Lugo’s Proved Something to Himself in Final Start of Season

A great send off to 2023.

Padres starter Seth Lugo finished his 2023 season with a bang after he nearly went the distance against the San Francisco Giants in his last start of the year.

As he teetered between roles as a starter and reliever throughout his career before his San Diego tenure, the veteran made it clear that the former is where he wants to be.

“Proved to myself and other people around the league that I am capable of being a starter. I enjoyed the season,” Lugo said. “I don’t enjoy where we are at in the standings, but a great experience with the clubhouse, with the coaching staff, with the organization. Everyone has treated me really good. I’d say especially Ruben, helping me get better. I got better than I thought I was gonna get this year.”

via Kevin Acee, San Diego Tribune

The former long-time New York Met nearly tossed a complete game shutout on the road in San Francisco and came just one out shy of the accomplishment to end the night. 

More impressively he threw over 120 pitches in an era where injury management and bullpen usage have never been higher. 

Unprecedented in many facets Lugo credited his pitching coach Ruben Niebla for the work accomplished throughout the season. 

Overall, the 33-year-old started 26 games for the Padres and over 146 innings of work, the veteran threw for a 3.57 ERA and struck out 140 batters. 

San Diego's record certainly won't impress anybody with Lugo included, but the former bullpen option solidified his new role going forward in his strong finish to 2023. 

Lugo's player option looms large in several offseason decisions for the Padres after early discussions of a slashed payroll recently surfaced. 

Given his recent performance, San Diego can expect a strong rotational piece should he choose to exercise his $7.5 million contract for 2024.