LATEST NEWS: Michael Lorenzen, a possible free agent target for the Yankees

The Yankees’ pitching staff might benefit from having MLB’s most recent no-hitter on staff.

Following the Yankees’ trade of Michael King for Juan Soto, there is one void that has remained largely unfilled. King was a crucial bullpen arm that successfully transitioned to the rotation at the conclusion of 2023. The Yankees may need another pitcher who can switch between the back end of the rotation and the bullpen, especially with Clarke Schmidt scheduled to start as the fifth starter. To help with load carrying, the team added Marcus Stroman. Michael Lorenzen, the owner of the most recent no-hitter in MLB and a former “pitcher who rakes,” might be a good fit for that position.

Entering his age-32 season, Lorenzen is coming off one of his best seasons to date, one in which he saw his most time on a major league mound. He was no slouch, but his 4.18 ERA in 153 innings wasn’t very impressive. Worth something is a pitcher who pitched over 150 innings and was about league average.

In 2015, the right-hander made his debut for the Reds as a (primarily) starting pitcher, pitching 113.1 innings in 27 games, 21 of which were starts. With a 5.40 FIP and ERA to match, his debut was lackluster, and he would not see that many innings again until the previous season. It was time for a relocation, and thankfully, it was successful for the most part. In 360 innings of work, mostly in relief, he posted a good 3.92 FIP for Cincinnati from 2016 to 21 despite making only five starts.

After signing consecutive one-year deals in free agency, first with the Angels and then with Detroit, Lorenzen is on the market again. In the case of both of these signings, however, Lorenzen was brought on as a starter. He was only able to make 18 starts for the Angels in ‘22, and was fine enough, but he made the same amount for the Tigers in the first half of last season, and was able to find some real success.

In 105.2 innings of work, he managed a very solid 3.58 ERA and 3.86 FIP, both of which would place among his better seasons overall, and easily his best as a starter. The righty pitched well enough to be selected as the Tigers’ representative at the All-Star Game, before ultimately being dealt to the contending Phillies.

His start there was a resoundingly good one, beginning with an eight-inning, two-run start, followed by his no-hitter on August 9. But, over his next five starts, his production fell off a cliff, as he posted a FIP of 7.45 in a brutal 26-inning stretch, during which he also surrendered eight homers. Another move to the ‘pen was on tap, and after one more beating there (3 H, 3 BB, 4ER in 0.1 IP), he finished the season on a high note with a few scoreless appearances, including a pair in the postseason as the Phillies made their way to the NLCS.

So, this winter, Lorenzen and potential suitors have themselves a mixed bag: an All-Star worthy first half as a starter, and some of his worst (and best) performances in the second. With this in mind, Lorenzen’s deal likely won’t be an overly lucrative one, and his experience could fit well on a Yankees pitching staff that will at one point or another need help on the back end. We saw what just a few injuries and down years can do to a rotation last year, and having a league-average pitcher like Lorenzen to fill in those spots and in the bullpen could help soften those inevitable blows.

Lorenzen is far from perfect, of course, with his stumbling finish last year, and his near career-low strikeout rate. But, he has been fairly consistent over his nine-year career with his 105 ERA+. His walk rate in 2023 was easily his best since his first year of relief work in 2016, but the workload of starting took its obvious toll, as the right-hander surrendered the hardest contact of his career amidst a dip in pitch velocity.

Once more, we get a mixed bag, but despite that, there are solid reasons to think he’ll continue to produce in any capacity on the mound, however modestly. With the exception of a few elite arms in the starting pitching market, Lorenzen is one of the more well-known players still available. Based on FanGraphs’ crowdsourced estimates, he should not expect to receive a large salary—two years and $20 million, to be exact. A obvious hole may be filled in the Yankees roster by acquiring a seasoned arm that can pitch in both the rotation and the bullpen, if the price is right for them. This need will only grow more urgent as the injuries start to mount.