Report: Phillies Acquire Lorenzen From Tigers

One of the last National League teams to make their first move, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers according to report from Jon Morosi.

Lorenzen is a nine-year MLB veteran who’s spent the bulk of his career with the Cincinnati Reds before signing free agent deals with the Los Angeles Angels in 2022 and the Tigers in 2023.

A free agent again at the end of the 2023, this deal is merely a rental, and Lorenzen is already nearing a career-high innings total. So even though he sports a 3.58 ERA in 105.2 innings, he could theoretically be used as a reliever to keep his arm fresh.

Besides, the Phillies do not currently lack for starters. Fifth slot fill-in, Christopher Sanchez has a 2.66 ERA in 47.1 innings this year, and Lorenzen has seen work as a reliever in the past. For his career, the former-Tiger has a 3.74 ERA in relief and 4.31 as a starter.

That said, both Lorezen’s peripherals and traditional statistics indicate he’s due for continued success as a starter. In July he’s made four starts to the tune of a 1.14 ERA. Perhaps the Phillies will employ a six-man rotation in an attempt to get a beleaguered Aaron Nola extra rest each week.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee will be headed back to Detroit to complete the deal. Lee broke out for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers in 2022. This season at High-A, he is slashing .283/.372/.401.

Though the Phillies just traded their fifth ranked prospect in Lee for the Tigers lone All-Star in 2023, it seems unlikely Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is done. Matt Gelb has reported the Phillies expressed interested in a reliever and a right-handed bat, and Lorenzen may not fill either of those needs depending of how Rob Thomson and the Phillies use him.