Getty New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has been urged to scour the market for more pitching depth in 2024.
For much of the offseason, the New York Yankees have been urged by fans and analysts alike to reinforce ace Gerrit Cole with some additional starting pitcher depth. And now that Cole is set for an MRI to investigate discomfort in his pitching elbow, the urgency around such an acquisition has grown.
Evaluating the free agent market for potential fits with the Yankees, Christopher Kline of FanSided identified 2023 All-Star pitcher Michael Lorenzen as a Cole replacement the team can sign immediately.
“Michael Lorenzen could fit the Yankees hand-in-glove,” Kline noted. “The Yankees have a chance to unearth considerable value on a one or two-year contract that carries very little actual risk. Even if he only functions as a temporary stopgap until Cole returns, Lorenzen could be exactly what the Yankeed need — a situational weapon who is comfortable swallowing his ego and shifting between roles as required.”
What Would Michael Lorenzen Bring to the New York Yankees?
Lorenzen is a nine-year MLB veteran, with a career 4.11 ERA in 69 total starts. Pitching his first 18 starts last season with the Detroit Tigers, he maintained a 3.58 ERA with 83 strikeouts and won an All-Star bid. He was then traded to Philadelphia, where he pitched a no-hitter in his debut, but eventually saw his season ERA balloon to 4.18.
That regression may explain why Lorenzen remains on the free-agent market. But with some new desperation to strengthen the pitching staff, the Yankees might strike a deal in hopes that he can return to the pitcher he was in Detroit last season.
“The Yankees can hope Lorenzen returns to pre-deadline form, effectively mixing his mid-90s fastball and mid-80s slider to land batters on the punch-out reel,” Kline added. “Lorenzen posted an encouraging chase rate last season (30.1 percent, 67th percentile), so he’s still getting batters to swing outside the strike zone.”
Reporting for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal noted that it would likely take a $20 million, two-year guarantee to bring Lorenzen to New York.
“Free-agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen continues to seek a two-year deal, according to sources briefed on his intentions,” per Rosenthal. “An increase in his annual value on a two-year deal would put him in the range of a $20 million guarantee.”
The New York Yankees Are Being Urged to Bolster the Rotation After Gerrit Cole Injury Concerns
With Cole’s infamous durability now in question, the Yankees rumor mill has hit overdrive. The team has been connected to reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease and others. And for good reason, as even before Cole’s latest troubles, the Yankees’ pitching staff was seen as one prone to injury.
“The first season of Carlos Rodon’s six-year, $162MM contract with the Yankees played out in disastrous fashion,” MLB Trade Rumors noted. “Rodon was limited by injuries in 2023, logging just 14 starts (64 ⅓ innings) and yielding a grisly 6.85 ERA with strikeout and walk rates that both trended heavily in the wrong direction.”
And things weren’t much better for the Yankees’ number-three starter last season, Nestor Cortes, who struggled with a strained left rotator cuff for much of 2023.
The Yankees did add two-time All Star Marcus Stroman in free agency. But if Cole misses significant time, that might not be enough to make good on World Series aspirations.