I need to stress how outrageous it’s that Michael Lorenzen was not the primary former Cal State Fullerton two-way participant to signal a free agent contract this winter. The man who beat him to the punch, J.D. Davis, performed 144 video games for the Giants final 12 months, beginning 116 of them at third base. He’d gone by way of arbitration. Extra to the purpose, on March 1 he was the presumptive starter for a crew with playoff aspirations, and he was underneath contract on March 10.
Then Davis received reduce so as to save a couple of bucks within the wake of the Matt Chapman signing, and he ended up signing for lower than half of his authentic wage with the Oakland A’s. There, he’ll be managed by Mark Kotsay, a former Cal State Fullerton two-way participant.
Whereas all of that was occurring, Lorenzen was sitting by the cellphone. Or extra possible, given his physique, he was lifting the cellphone simply to get pump in, regardless that the one sound on the opposite finish was a dial tone. Lastly, in a single day simply six days earlier than his crew’s first common season recreation, Lorenzen has a cope with the Texas Rangers: One 12 months, $4.5 million, with an extra $2.5 million potential in incentives.
It’s a bit puzzling that Lorenzen is signing this late, and for this little cash. That is the 32-year-old’s third go-around in free company. After seven seasons with the Reds, most of it as a extremely sturdy however not-particularly-spectacular reliever, Lorenzen inked a one-year, $7 million contract with the Angels in 2022, with the promise of a shot on the rotation. He posted a 4.24 ERA in 97 2/3 innings over 18 begins, then signed a one-year, $8.5 million cope with the Tigers.
In an offseason that noticed mid-rotation starters like Taijuan Walker and Jameson Taillon get four-year ensures at twice as a lot cash every year, Lorenzen was a large discount for Detroit. He posted a 3.58 ERA in 18 begins with the Tigers and even made the All-Star crew, and netted prize infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee in return when Detroit flipped him to Philadelphia on the deadline.
The Phillies acquired Lorenzen for his versatility — he might begin or function a medium-leverage reliever and scale back the end-of-regular-season workload on high-volume starters like Walker, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola. Most significantly, on the time of the commerce the Phillies had been one or two minor accidents from having to begin Dylan Covey in a playoff recreation. Lorenzen stood, like a symbolic stone guardian, in opposition to that chance.
Lorenzen went eight innings and allowed two runs in his Phillies debut, threw a 124-pitch no-hitter in his second begin, and was fairly forgettable thereafter. By the third week of September, he was out of the rotation, and his contribution within the playoffs amounted to a pair of scoreless reduction appearances.
However, he’s coming off a season through which he posted a profession excessive in innings (153 in 29 appearances, 25 of them begins), his lowest BB% since 2016 (7.5%), and an ERA- of 96. I don’t assume it was unreasonable for him to anticipate a two-year deal value $10 million or extra yearly.
Free Agent Starters’ 2023 Stats and 2024 Contracts
Perhaps Lynn, Flaherty, Maeda, and Manaea have a monitor file of previous success that warrants a bit additional walking-around cash, however Lorenzen’s contract appears fairly low-cost by modern requirements for innings eaters.
I suppose that’s what occurs whenever you’re nonetheless a free agent after the music stops. And there are official considerations about Lorenzen’s capability to be greater than a fifth starter — no-hitter and All-Star look however. Lorenzen had a 5.51 ERA after his commerce to the Phillies, even with these two dynamite outings to begin his tenure there. Among the many 127 pitchers to throw a minimum of 100 innings final 12 months, he was 111th in Okay%. He additionally allowed the very best dwelling run charge and lowest floor ball charge since his rookie 12 months. He tinkered along with his repertoire so much — in September alone, the Phillies had him throw seven totally different pitch sorts — with out a lot success.
However for $4.5 million, plus incentives, who cares? Particularly the Rangers, who went hog wild on the commerce and free agent market in years previous however have had a captivating and pragmatic strategy to free company this winter.
Again in December, Texas signed Tyler Mahle, who’s presently rehabbing from Tommy John surgical procedure, to a two-year contract. He’ll begin the season on the IL with an eye fixed towards returning late within the 12 months, as will each Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Till then, the Rangers have a gap… effectively, three holes, actually, within the rotation.
In the meanwhile, they don’t want that a lot out of their beginning pitchers. Corey Seager and Josh Jung may very well be prepared for Opening Day, with Nathaniel Lowe not far behind. Tack on returning sluggers Marcus Semien and Adolis García, a full season of Evan Carter, and Wyatt Langford’s fast evolution into Thagbold the Annihilator, God-Emperor of Smashing Baseballs, the Rangers are going to attain a whole lot of runs.
And even with three-fifths of their rotation in search of medical therapy for a pre-existing situation, the Rangers have some depth: Nathan Eovaldi (you both die an injury-prone prospect, or dwell to see your self change into the indestructible veteran), Jon Grey, Dane Dunning, Andrew Heaney, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Texas is one in every of a number of groups taking a monetary hit from the continued collapse of the RSN bubble, so GM Chris Younger has needed to save his ammo, however apparently Lorenzen’s price ticket had come down up to now that Younger might not go up this deal. Lorenzen has been throwing in non-public exercises, but it surely’ll nonetheless take him a pair weeks, and doubtless a minimum of one minor league begin, to get into recreation form. Nonetheless, if he’s within the large league rotation throughout the subsequent 4 weeks, $4.5 million is a worthwhile gamble on a pitcher who’s an improve from Cody Bradford now, and can be utilized out of the bullpen if August rolls round and the Rangers out of the blue have extra wholesome starters than they will use. If Lorenzen seems to be nothing greater than the sixth-best reliever within the Texas bullpen, that is nonetheless a coup for the Rangers, who want reduction depth much more than they want an improve at fifth starter. And a one-year, $4.5 million assure is in regards to the going charge for center relievers, reclamation initiatives, and reclamation challenge center relievers.
Like Blake Snell earlier than him, Lorenzen appears to have waited out the market somewhat too lengthy. And even with that perceive, it’s shocking how low-cost this contract ended up being.