Royals acquire pitcher Michael Lorenzen

Are the Royals looking for starting pitching depth?

The Royals are active in trade talks, with many reports indicating they are looking for relievers and a bat for the lineup. But they may also be looking for starting pitching depth, according to reporter Jon Heyman. Rangers starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen could be a trade target.

Update: The Royals have acquired Lorenzen for pitcher Walter Pennington.

Lorenzen was an All-Star in 2023 with the Tigers, but quickly declined once he was traded to the Phillies that year. He rebounded well with the Rangers this year with a 3.81 ERA but a 5.15 FIP in 101 ²⁄₃ inning. His 17.9 percent strikeout rate is the ninth-lowest among any starter with 100+ innings. The 32-year-old has particularly struggled his last few outings, giving up 12 runs in 14 ²⁄₃ innings over his last four outings, pitching in relief on Sunday after failing to get out of the first inning in his start on Saturday.

Pennington had a 2.26 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings in Triple-A Omaha. He was called up to pitch in one game in his native Colorado, retiring both hitters he faced, one by strikeout. The 26-year-old lefty was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of the Colorado School of Mines.

Lorenzen earns $4.5 million this season and is an impending free agent. The Royals could be looking for more starting pitching depth to hedge against an injury, or they could be looking to replace the struggling Alec Marsh in the rotation, hoping that moving Marsh to the pen gives them a better relief option.

Lorenzen does have 274 relief appearances in his career, so the Royals could view him as a pitcher who could improve his performance moving back to the pen. He had a 2.92 ERA with over a strikeout-per-inning in 73 relief appearances with the Reds in 2019. Seth Lugo is about to hit a career-high in innings pitched, Cole Ragans has never pitched this many innings in a pro season, and Michael Wacha hasn’t pitched as many as 135 innings in a season since 2017. So perhaps acquiring a reliever who can start is a way of building depth.