On Monday morning, the Rangers announced they have traded right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Royals in exchange for minor league left-hander Walter Pennington. Jon Heyman of the New York Post had reported just before the announcement that Kansas City was interested in Lorenzen. Since Pennington is already on the 40-man roster, no additional roster moves were needed.
This trade doesn’t suggest that the third-place Rangers are giving up on their season. Recently, there has been speculation that with Max Scherzer, Dane Dunning, Tyler Mahle, and eventually Jacob deGrom returning to health, Texas might consider trading a pitcher from their current rotation. Lorenzen, who is on a one-year, cost-effective contract and will be a free agent at the end of the season, was the most likely candidate to be traded.
With Lorenzen moving to Kansas City, the Rangers’ rotation will now feature Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and possibly Dunning—though Mahle, who is nearing the end of a minor league rehab stint, could take that fifth spot.
Lorenzen, 32, has pitched 101 2/3 innings for the Rangers this season, posting a solid 3.81 ERA. However, other statistics are less impressive; his strikeout rate of 17.9% is below the league average of 22.3%, and his walk rate of 11.5% is higher than the league average of 8.2%.
He has managed a decent ground-ball rate of 42.3%, but has benefited from a .243 BABIP and an 80.7% strand rate, both of which are better than his career averages of .279 and 74.2%, respectively. Some regression in these areas is expected.
Despite potential regression, Lorenzen remains a reliable back-end starter. His current numbers align with his performance over the past three seasons since transitioning from the Reds’ bullpen to a starting role. Over the 2022-23 seasons with the Angels, Tigers, and Phillies, Lorenzen had a 4.20 ERA, a 18.9% strikeout rate, and an 8.8% walk rate. Adding this season’s performance, his ERA stands at 4.09, with strikeout and walk rates that are below average but not severely so.
This provides a good idea of what the Royals can expect from Lorenzen, although he has shown occasional high-level performance, such as his memorable start with the Phillies last summer, where he threw eight innings of two-run ball and then tossed a no-hitter against the Nationals. However, he struggled towards the end of the season, which led to his move to the bullpen.
Kansas City’s rotation is currently stable with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Brady Singer, Michael Wacha, and Alec Marsh. Marsh, however, has struggled recently, posting a 6.37 ERA in his last 10 starts. Lorenzen could take Marsh’s spot in the rotation, possibly pushing Marsh to the bullpen or Triple-A Omaha. Lorenzen has pitched enough to increase his base salary from $4.5 million to $5.5 million and could earn additional bonuses for reaching specific innings thresholds. Although Lorenzen could be used in the bullpen, it seems unlikely given that the Royals traded a major league-ready reliever to acquire him.
Pennington, 26, will join the Rangers and could immediately contribute as a left-handed reliever. The Rangers have struggled to find consistent lefty relief this season, and Pennington might fill that role. Undrafted in the 2020 draft, Pennington signed with the Colorado School of Mines and is only the second player from that school to reach the majors, following Roy Hartzell in 1906.
Pennington had a brief major league stint but was sent back down after pitching just two-thirds of an inning. In Triple-A, he has excelled with a 2.26 ERA, a 32.9% strikeout rate, an 8.3% walk rate, and a 52.6% ground-ball rate over 59 2/3 innings. His pitching repertoire includes a sinker, cutter, and slider, with the slider being his most frequently used pitch. He has effectively neutralized both left-handed and right-handed batters.
Pennington is in the first of three minor league option years and won’t accrue a full year of big league service in 2024, meaning the Rangers will control him through at least the 2030 season. He represents a potential long-term option for the Rangers’ bullpen, making him a valuable acquisition in exchange for a rental starter whose place in the rotation was uncertain due to the return of several veteran arms.
