After acquiring “super” utility man Cavan Biggio on a Minor League deal, MLB Insider Jeff Passan announced that the Royals signed Michael Lorenzen on a one-year contract with a mutual option for the 2026 season.
MLB.com writer Anne Rogers broke the deal via Twitter after Passan’s breaking Tweet. Not only did she confirm that an agreement was made with Lorenzen, but she also further broke down the specifics of Lorenzen’s contract.
The Lorenzen return isn’t entirely surprising for Royals fans.
Earlier this offseason, I talked about a possible return due to his ability to switch between the rotation and the bullpen. Michael Wacha’s return initially made Lorenzen’s future in Kansas City a little hazy. However, after the Royals traded away Brady Singer to Cincinnati, it seemed likely that the Royals would be in the mix again to bring back Lorenzen, even with Kris Bubic moving to the rotation in 2025.
Let’s examine Lorenzen’s return to Kansas City, what he brings to the Royals pitching staff, and how the rest of the rotation will be affected for the upcoming season.
Lorenzen Bringing Stability and Flexibility
The Royals acquired Lorenzen from Texas at the July Trade Deadline last season, and he thrived in his new surroundings in Kansas City.
In seven outings, six starts, and 28.2 IP, the former Cal State Fullerton product posted a 1.57 ERA, 3.09 FIP, and 0.5 fWAR. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury suffered in late August kept him from accumulating more innings with the Royals, though he did make a return in the postseason.
In two postseason outings (one against Baltimore and the other against the Yankees), he posted a 3.86 ERA in 2.1 IP, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out three.
Even though it was a small sample size, it seemed like Lorenzen gelled with Royals pitching coaches Brian Sweeney and Zach Bove. His TJ Stats data from his Texas and Kansas City tenures in 2024 demonstrated that.
The most significant difference for Lorenzen in Kansas City was that he doubled the usage of his sweeper. With Texas, he threw the sweeper only 3.7% of the time. With the Royals, he threw it 15.2% of the time. The increased usage made sense for Lorenzen, as it was his best pitch last year on a TJ Stuff+ basis with a 106 overall mark.
Lorenzen’s slider also rated well overall, with a 104 mark. He also generated solid whiff rates with his changeup (37.3%) and curveball (35.2%). On a PLV end, Lorenzen’s sweeper (5.59 PLV) and slider (5.09 PLV) also stood out as his most effective offerings in 2024 on a pitch quality end.
The results were undoubtedly better for Lorenzen in Kansas City last year than in Texas, as he posted a 3.81 ERA and 5.17 FIP in 101.2 IP with the Rangers. Another big difference for Lorenzen was that he minimized the walks in Kansas City. His BB% was 10.3%, and his K-BB% was 8.5% with the Royals. Conversely, those percentages were 11.2% and 6.9% with the Rangers.
Lorenzen will likely be in the mix this spring for either the four or five spots in the rotation, along with Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, and Noah Cameron, who was recently added to the 40-man roster this offseason. If he doesn’t earn a spot in the rotation, Lorenzen could fit in as a long reliever who can occasionally start based on the matchup. It wouldn’t be surprising to see manager Matt Quatraro utilize him in that fashion, especially since he often saw it as a bench coach in Tampa Bay.
How Will Other Royals Pitchers Be Affected?
Even if the Royals didn’t add Lorenzen, they likely would’ve added someone in free agency on an affordable one-year deal similar to Lorenzen’s. The Royals’ pitching development has dramatically improved under Picollo and Pitching Coordinator Paul Gibson in just two years. However, it helps to have another veteran on the staff who can give the staff depth and pitch in multiple roles.
The pitcher that seems to be most affected by Lorenzen’s return may be Wright, who missed all of 2024 due to recovery from shoulder surgery. The former Braves draft pick and Vanderbilt product came to terms with the Royals in mid-December, avoiding arbitration.
I wrote about Wright being a possible sleeper to the Royals rotation in 2025, as I thought his acquisition was a shrewd, long-term move by Picollo last offseason (though reliever Nick Anderson, who also came with Wright in the deal from Atlanta, didn’t work out). Wright had pedigree as a pitching prospect in Atlanta and seemed to put it all together in 2022. Furthermore, Sweeney and Bove succeeded with veteran starters last year, as evidenced by Lorenzen and Seth Lugo, who finished second in the AL Cy Young race.
Conversely, it seems like Picollo and the Royals will take it slow with Wright in 2025, based on Jaylon Thompson of the KC Star’s most recent piece on Wright back in December.
Here’s an excerpt from Thompson’s piece that indicates that they won’t precisely rush Wright in Spring Training, and his role may be fluid in Kansas City in the upcoming season.
“It’s hard to pencil in a guy coming off a shoulder procedure, but he has made progression and there was a reason why we acquired him last season,” Picollo said. “It was for the 2025 season, so he was feeling good at the end of the year here. … We’re optimistic on Kyle, but we also have to be realistic. You know, I don’t think he is going to throw 185 innings next year, but whatever we can get out of him will be a benefit.”
Wright does have one Minor League option remaining, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see Wright start in Omaha and build up for his return to the Majors in 2025. That shouldn’t damper Royals fans’ outlook on Wright and the impact he can bring to the Kansas City pitching staff this season and next (he still has one more year of team control after 2025).
Unfortunately, I think Royals fans should expect something from Wright in 2025, similar to what we saw from Bubic in 2024, where Wright pitches as a starter in Omaha but out of the bullpen with the Royals.
Photo Credit: Nick Wass/AP
Interesting analysis on Lorenzen. In Texas, his pitch mix was more orthodox. After he arrives, his sweeper and slider usage increases. I’m going to go out on a limb and state that they were already effective. The Royals pitching coaches allowed him to pitch what works for him. The sweeper and slider also are likely to seem alike on the way… until they “break”. Then, the hitter is off timing, off target or both. It is a good approach that also bolsters the pitcher’s confidence. I expect Lorenzen to have an ERA of 3.30 or better, and actually improve other metrics.
Kyle Wright is going to present a quandary. Based on surgery date and what he been written about his recovery and therapy, I expect him to be ready for Spring Training and shooting for top billing. Ragans has earned the season opener since he arrived, but I believe Wright should slot no worse than #3. Workload may be planned at around 140 innings and slowly build his pitch count fom about 70 to 90. This is actually a great development for Wacha, as he should be facing a lesser pitcher than he and may be pitching with a lead more often. Ragans, Lugo, Wright and Wacha with Lorenzen or Marsh presents an enviable rotation. Assuming we score an average of more than 4 runs/game, I can see all six in double digits for wins.
[…] Shewmake could also be an easy DFA candidate if he struggles in Spring Training, and Cavan Biggio, who was signed on a Minor League deal, has a strong Cactus League […]
[…] Michael Lorenzen is back on a one-year deal, which should soften the blow of Brady Singer being a Red. Wacha returned to Kansas City on a team-friendly extension and showed his investment in the Royals’ long-term outlook. Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh, and Daniel Lynch IV have rotation and bullpen flexibility. Speaking of the bullpen, after Picollo struggled to mold the group in his first two years, he has made it a strength of their squad since the 2024 Trade Deadline, made even stronger with the acquisition of Carlos Estevez this offseason. […]