Projecting Where the Phillies' Top 4 Free Agents Will Sign This Offseason
By Tyler Maher
2. Michael Lorenzen: St. Louis Cardinals
Speaking of All-Star pitchers, Michael Lorenzen is as good as gone after his disastrous performance with the Phillies this year. He was a complete trainwreck after coming over from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, going 4-2 with a 5.51 ERA and a 5.81 FIP in 47 1/3 innings for Philadelphia.
Lorenzen likely cost himself millions of dollars on the open market with his poor finish, but he's still a fairly attractive option. He's gone 17-15 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 250 2/3 innings over the last two seasons combined, establishing himself as a quality starting pitcher after primarily pitching out of the bullpen before that.
Lorenzen is 31, so someone will sign him. He's only a few months removed from throwing a no-hitter, too, which is undoubtedly still fresh in the minds of many executives.
A lot of teams will be in the market for an affordable starting pitcher like Lorenzen, including the St. Louis Cardinals. They have two major holes at the top of their rotation after trading away Jordan Montgomery and with Adam Wainwright retiring. They're also fairly familiar with him after playing against him for seven years when he was with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cardinals have had a lot of success fixing low-strikeout pitchers like Lorenzen in the past, so it wouldn't surprise me if they try to do the same with him.