Former Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen to sign with Rangers

Michael Lorenzen will reportedly sign with the Rangers. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Former Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen will reportedly join the defending World Series champions.

The right-hander has agreed to a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers that will pay him a base salary of $4.5 million, according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Lorenzen can earn up to $7 million with incentives. The deal is pending a physical.

With injuries to key members of the Rangers’ starting staff, Lorenzen slots in as a rotation piece to help Texas right now. Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle will all be out until the summer. The 32-year-old Lorenzen should be serviceable enough to help the team get by until those big-name arms return.

Lorenzen started the 2023 season in Detroit, making the All-Star Game and posting a 3.18 ERA in 18 starts. The Phillies traded infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee for the pitcher at the deadline with the knowledge that he could be utilized as a starter or in the bullpen. He joined Philadelphia’s rotation at first and made an incredible first impression. After going eight strong innings in his Phillies debut, Lorenzen tossed a no-hitter in his first home start at Citizens Bank Park, perhaps the most memorable moment of the regular season last year.

Lorenzen’s performance dropped off drastically in the five following starts, however, resulting in him falling out of the rotation and out of favor almost entirely by the end of the season. He had a 5.51 ERA in 47 1/3 innings across 11 appearances with the Phillies.