Chicago White Sox Lose Out on Free Agent Michael Lorenzen, Who Joins Texas Rangers

The Chicago White Sox have officially missed out on one of their top remaining free agent targets.

Right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen has agreed to a contract with the Texas Rangers, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported late Wednesday night. The one-year deal will be worth $4.5 million includes an additional $2.5 million in incentives, bringing its total maximum value to $7 million.

Chicago was seen as one of the most likely landing spots for Lorenzen once it became clear that the White Sox were looking to trade ace Dylan Cease before Opening Day. When Cease was dealt to the San Diego Padres, the door opened wider for Lorenzen to join the club in his place.

The New York Yankees were also interested in Lorenzen, rather than shipping out prospects for Cease or spending big money on Blake Snell.

Lorenzen threw a 70-pitch simulated game in front of scouts last weekend, making sure teams kept him in mind with the regular season fast approaching. In the end, Lorenzen joined the Rangers over the White Sox and Yankees, though.

The 32-year-old Lorenzen has spent the majority of his career as a relief pitcher after debuting as a starter for the Cincinnati Reds in 2015. He spent the following six seasons coming out of Cincinnati's bullpen.

Lorenzen started 18 games for the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, then another 18 for the Detroit Tigers in 2023. He got sent to the Philadelphia Phillies at last summer's trade deadline, starting another seven games down the stretch and throwing a no-hitter on Aug. 9.

For his career, Lorenzen is 40-38 with a 4.11 ERA, 1.325 WHIP and 9.4 WAR. He is 17-15 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.237 WHIP and 3.0 WAR over the last two seasons, and he made his first career All-Star appearance in 2023.

Without Lorenzen, the White Sox's rotation is expected to be made up of Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Michael Soroka, Chris Flexen and Nick Nastrini. That five-man group combined for just 22 MLB starts in 2023, making it one of the most intriguing rotations in the league.

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