By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Kansas City Royals officially reunited with pitcher Michael Lorenzen on a one year deal Wednesday.
According to a source the deal is worth a guaranteed $7 million with a mutual contract option for 2026. Lorenzen will make $5.5 million this season as part of the Royals’ pitching staff, and the mutual option is worth $12 million with a $1.5 million buyout if the club declines. There are also performance incentives in the deal.
After being aggressive early in the offseason, checking off two major priorities in resigning starting pitcher Michael Wacha and trading for leadoff hitter Jonathan India, the Royals went quiet waiting to see how the free agent market developed.
But all along, a reunion with Lorenzen, whose 33 years old, made the most sense for Kansas City. General Manager JJ Piccollo along with manager Matt Quatraro had voiced the need of a veteran pitcher who could fill a variety of roles, ranging from starting in the rotation, to the bullpen, as well as acting as a multi inning reliever.
There was no better player left in the market than Lorenzen, something the Royals should know, after dealing for him at last years trade deadline to fill that very same role.
After being acquired from the Rangers for reliever Walter Pennington, Lorenzen posted a 1.57 ERA in 28 2/3 innings. He missed time with a left hamstring strain but otherwise impressed in a small sample size. In total with the Rangers and Royals in ’24, Lorenzen threw 130 1/3 innings with a 3.31 ERA.
Those innings should help the Royals cover some of the 179 2/3 innings lost in the rotation when they traded Brady Singer to the Reds for India. The Royals think highly of their young pitching contingent to help in the rotation, but adding a veteran arm like Lorenzen will help with depth and innings.
Kris Bubic returned to the mound as a reliever last year after Tommy John surgery, likely limiting his innings in his first year back as a starter. The same, to a greater extent, goes for Kyle Wright, who did not pitch at all in 2024 after shoulder surgery. Kansas City also has Alec Marsh and Daniel Lynch IV returning as competition for a rotation spot.
Lorenzen also brings value in the bullpen. Since debuting as a two-way player in 2015 with the Reds, Lorenzen performed mostly as a swingman until 2022, when he signed with the Angels as a full-time starter. Since ’22, Lorenzen has a 3.90 ERA, with a 1.24 WHIP in 381 innings, mostly as a starter.
With just over a month to go until Spring Training begins, adding Lorenzen helps the Royals shore up their pitching staff. They’re also still looking to add a middle-of-the-order bat that can inject some power into their lineup as they seek ways to improve the roster heading into 2025.
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