Angels reportedly sign Michael Lorenzen to one-year deal

The Angels reportedly brought in their third free agent pitcher of the offseason on Sunday evening, as according to Fansided’s Robert Murray, the club has an agreement with Michael Lorenzen on a one-year contract worth $7 million.

Lorenzen spent the first seven years of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, where he recorded a 4.07 ERA while working primarily as a reliever. He was limited with both shoulder and hamstring strains in 2021, not pitching until mid-July and posting a 5.59 ERA in the 27 games that he did pitch. The Fullerton native and Cal State Fullerton product also has two-way player capabilities, as he’s hit seven home runs with a .710 OPS in 133 at bats while working as an outfielder and pinch hitter for the Reds.

Rather interestingly, Murray reported that the Angels plan to use Lorenzen as a starter, something that he hasn’t done on a regular basis since 2015 when he posted a 5.45 ERA in 21 starts. If that report is accurate, Lorenzen will join Shohei Ohtani, Noah Syndergaard, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez as members of the Halos’ rotation, with presumably one more spot left to be filled before the end of the offseason.

The move for Lorenzen leaves the Angels with about $163 million in payroll commitments for 2022, which is about $19 million shy of where they finished at last season. There’s been no indication on whether or not they plan to go over that number as of yet, but they’ll likely have to if they still want to add one more starter and a closer like many believe they do.