Could The Angels Reunite With This Anaheim Native in Free Agency?

The 32-year-old two-way-player-turned-starting-pitcher was an All-Star in 2023.

Michael Lorenzen went from an anonymous middle reliever and part-time outfielder to an All-Star starting pitcher in the span of two years. He has the Angels to thank.

A brief history lesson: the Angels took a chance on Lorenzen as a free agent in Nov. 2021 and stretched him out as a starting pitcher, even though he'd only started five games since his rookie season (2015) in Cincinnati.

Lorenzen made 18 starts for the Angels in 2022, going 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA. He signed with the Detroit Tigers after the season, and went 5-7 with a 3.58 ERA — good enough to sneak onto the American League All-Star team as the lone representative of a rebuilding Tigers squad.

The Tigers traded Lorenzen at midseason to the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he pitched another 47.1 innings. Lorenzen also made two postseason appearances last October before hitting free agency.

Now, a reunion between Lorenzen and the Angels could be in the cards, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The Twins, Padres, Red Sox and Angels are considering the starter market.

Things are heating up for 2023 All-Star Mike Lorenzen, with those teams possible landing spots.

The Angels' need for a starting pitcher is well-documented. Shohei Ohtani threw 132 innings last season en route to the American League MVP award. 

Those innings will have to come from someone else this year, and few starting pitchers are capable of replicating his 10-5 record and 3.14 ERA. Whether Lorenzen fits that bill is arguable.

Over the last two seasons, he's 17-15 with a 4.20 ERA. That translates to a 101 ERA+ — essentially league-average. His 153 innings pitched last season marked a career high. So long as the increased workload didn't put a damper on Lorenzen's long-term health, durability shouldn't be an issue.

Whether or not a deal comes to fruition, there's a more important takeaway from this report. 

The Angels have reportedly considered signing free agent Blake Snell, the reigning National League Cy Young award winner. Like every team, they've balked at the lefty's price tag so far. 

Jordan Montgomery, a postseason hero for the World Series champion Texas Rangers, has been linked to six teams in reports this offseason. The Angels are one. He's the best right-hander remaining on the free agent market.

With little time remaining before spring training, the Angels' patience to fill out their rotation could be running out.

The buzz around Lorenzen suggests the Angels are lining up their fallback options in case the price tags for Snell and Montgomery don't fall into their budget. 

Lorenzen, an Anaheim native, might be at or near the top of the list.