The Royals and Michael Lorenzen are reportedly in settlement on a one-year, $7MM contract. The deal, which is pending a bodily, comes with a $5.5MM wage for subsequent season. There’s a $12MM mutual choice for 2026 that will include a $1.5MM buyout if the Royals decline their finish of the choice. The contract additionally incorporates $1MM in efficiency bonuses for the CAA consumer.
Lorenzen heads again to Kansas Metropolis after ending the ’24 marketing campaign with the Royals. Kansas Metropolis acquired him from the Ranges in a deadline deal that despatched reliever Walter Pennington to Texas. Lorenzen made a powerful first impression, delivering a 1.57 ERA throughout 28 2/3 innings whereas beginning six of his seven outings.
That capped off one of many higher seasons of his decade-long MLB profession. Lorenzen completed the 12 months with a mixed 3.31 earned run common over 130 1/3 innings. He began all however two of his 26 appearances. It was the third straight strong 12 months since Lorenzen moved to the rotation. He’d turned in a 4.24 ERA over 18 begins for the Angels in 2022 and mixed for a 4.18 mark in 153 innings between the Tigers and Phillies in ’23.
In every of these seasons, Lorenzen has discovered backside line success regardless of an unimpressive strikeout and stroll profile. That was significantly true final 12 months. His 18.1% strikeout share and 11.2% stroll charge are a couple of factors worse than the respective league averages. Lorenzen has missed bats on fewer than 10% of his pitches in consecutive seasons. Final 12 months’s 9.1% swinging strike charge was his lowest mark since 2018.
Lorenzen however carries a 3.90 ERA throughout practically 400 innings during the last three seasons. Whereas he has outperformed his peripherals in every season, groups seemingly stay skeptical about his probabilities of doing so but once more. Lorenzen has been restricted to one-year contracts with base salaries beneath eight figures in every of the final 4 offseasons. He reportedly sought a two-year deal final winter. Lorenzen lingered in free company deep into Spring Coaching earlier than heading to Arlington on a modest $4.5MM assure with $2.5MM in efficiency bonuses.
The 33-year-old jumped on a deal earlier within the winter this time round. Lorenzen earns a slight pay bump relative to final season. He’ll additionally get the good thing about sticking with the identical group with which he ended the earlier 12 months. That is the primary time since Lorenzen’s early-career run within the Cincinnati bullpen that he’ll persist with the identical group over an offseason.
Kansas Metropolis misplaced some mid-rotation stability once they swapped Brady Singer for Jonathan India early within the offseason. That vacated a rotation spot for Kyle Wright, who’s getting back from shoulder surgical procedure that value him the whole 2024 season. Lorenzen might compete with Wright and Alec Marsh for the fifth rotation spot behind Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic. Skipper Matt Quatraro might additionally flip to a six-man rotation or maintain Lorenzen in lengthy reduction with the flexibleness to maneuver again into the rotation as accidents come up or workload administration necessitates.
Earlier reporting had indicated that Lorenzen, who had a little bit of outfield expertise with Cincinnati early in his profession, might signal with a non-contender to take some at-bats. The thought would’ve been to achieve the 20 video games as a hitter essential to qualify as a two-way participant. That will’ve meant he wouldn’t have counted towards a group’s 13-pitcher restrict. There is no such thing as a indication that the Royals — a group that made the Division Collection final 12 months and definitely intends to achieve the playoffs once more — is planning to try this.
Lorenzen’s wage brings the Royals’ payroll to roughly $121MM, based on the RosterResource calculations. They’d been round final 12 months’s spending stage earlier than this signing, their first MLB contract since they re-signed Wacha shortly earlier than free company formally opened. It’s not clear how a lot room stays within the price range. Kansas Metropolis has reportedly seemed for a middle-of-the-order bat after buying India to hit atop the lineup. Nook outfield and bullpen assist are the largest wants on paper.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Royals and Lorenzen had agreed to a one-year, $7MM deal that included a $12MM mutual choice. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reported the wage and the choice buyout. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was first to say the $1MM in bonuses. Picture courtesy of Imagn.
