Breaking: Giants Agree Deal To Sign $22 Million All-Star Pitcher to Bolster Rotation

March 12, 2024 AdminWeb MLB 0

Breaking: Giants Agree Deal To Sign $22 Million All-Star Pitcher to Bolster Rotation

The San Francisco Giants have been working this offseason strengthening their lineup for 2024. Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations, has strengthened the starting rotation in a number of ways, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions before Opening Day. Is Michael Lorenzen, a 2023 All-Star pitcher, a viable choice to help the team stabilize this area?

Robert Murray of FanSided believes that San Francisco and the right-hand pitcher could work well together. However, he said, “Lorenzen could make the most sense and would not break the bank on a short-term deal—a player the Giants have liked in past offseasons.”

This winter, San Francisco has added Robbie Ray and Jodan Hicks to its rotation mix through trade and free agency, respectively. Still, there are good reasons to have doubts about each of them. Ray is recovering from surgery on his Tommy John. It won’t be until at least the summer before he returns to a big-league mound. Hicks is returning to the rotation after spending time in the bullpen. In his MLB career, he has only started eight games, all of which were with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022.

The Giants “only have 2.5 starting pitchers,” which includes Hicks, ace Logan Webb, and Kyle Harrison, an opposing evaluator told Murray.On November 6, MLB Trade Rumors projected that Lorenzen will become a free agent and sign a two-year, $22 million deal.

Lorenzen Would Enjoy Pitching at Oracle Park

Lorenzen signed with the Philadelphia Phillies before to the trade deadline after being chosen to play for the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 All-Star Game. He pitched a no-hitter for the club, but other than that, his time in the City of Brotherly Love wasn’t too smooth.

Before the move, he had a 3.58 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 105 innings pitched. A 5.51 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 47.1 innings following the deal came next. Lorenzen also observed an increase in his home runs allowed per nine innings from 0.9 in Detroit to 1.7 in Philadelphia.

According to FanGraphs, he set a career-high fly-ball percentage of 38.6% in 2023. Oracle Park is one location where it’s unlikely it would result in more home runs. According to Statcast, it’s the fourth-toughest MLB venue for home runs since the beginning of 2021. If Lorenzen continues to hit more fly balls in 2024, it will benefit the Giants.

What About Snell or Montgomery?

As free agents, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are the best two starting pitchers available. To help with their rotational problems, why wouldn’t the Giants just sign one of them?Although Snell has stated that he would want to sign with the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco is still rumored to be interested in the southpaw.

Zaidi’s remarks on March 3 suggest that the club has finished making significant purchases. “We have been quite clear throughout the offseason about our intention to keep graduating some of our younger players. According to him, the offseason is officially gone. This was stated on X (previously Twitter) by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. After bringing in third baseman Matt Chapman, Zaidi suggested that the team would consider dealing an infielder.

It seems unlikely that the Giants would go after Snell or Montgomery to put a bow on their offseason. Grabbing another hurler on a team-friendly short-term deal would help with their perceived lack of rotation depth right now, though.

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