A Red Sox pitching target is officially off the board.

On Tuesday afternoon, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers broke the news that Seth Lugo is signing a three-year, $45 million contract with the Kansas City Royals. The deal pays him $15M per year with a player opt-out after two seasons.

The Red Sox were not only one of several teams interested in Lugo – insider Robert Murray reported that more than half the league had checked in on the reliever-turned-starter – but actually made him an offer. The Herald confirmed that Boston was planning to take that step last week.  According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox were one of the “top four bidders” for the righty, but it’s unclear if they were willing to go as long as three years.

Lugo spent the bulk of his first seven Major League seasons in the New York Mets bullpen, with sporadic starts, but proved himself in San Diego’s rotation this year. He made 26 starts for the Padres, and posted a 3.57 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.203 WHIP over 146 1/3 innings.

While there are plenty of free agent pitchers left, there is a sense of déjà vu to the Lugo signing that doesn’t inspire confidence. Last offseason, the Red Sox and Rays made identical three-year, $40M offers to Zach Eflin. The longtime Philadelphia Phillies pitcher chose to sign with Tampa Bay – the largest free agent contract in their franchise history – and went on to have a better season than the entire Red Sox rotation by several metrics, including his 31 starts and 3.50 ERA.