Lorenzen embraces chip on shoulder ‘the size of Texas’

This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry's Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- General manager Chris Young said Michael Lorenzen has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. But if you ask Lorenzen, it’s way more than a bit.

“It’s pretty big; it might be the size of Texas,” Lorenzen said.

The right-hander signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Rangers on Friday after a long, frustrating offseason without a team to call home.

“It's been a little frustrating for sure, but I’ve been staying grounded in my faith and understanding that there's a purpose for everything that's going on,” Lorenzen said of his long offseason. “I’m trusting in God's plan for whatever he has in store and just staying grounded in that.

“When you're able to step back and change your perspective, I'm happy with how it went. I've found peace. I'm going to an incredible clubhouse. I have incredible teammates, playing with more legends. I can't complain, that's for sure.”

Lorenzen was a first-time All-Star with Detroit in 2023, posting a 3.58 ERA across 18 starts for the Tigers. He was traded to the Phillies at the Deadline and pitched a no-hitter in his first home start against the Nationals on Aug. 9. That was the peak of his brief Philadelphia tenure, as he posted an 8.01 ERA and 1.91 WHIP across his final 30 1/3 innings.

Lorenzen threw a career-high 153 innings in 2023, likely leading to his second-half regression. Regardless, he is a quality addition to the Rangers’ staff, even if it’s just as a depth piece.

“I'm grateful for this chip on my shoulder,” Lorenzen said. “I think maybe if I got the deal that I wanted, maybe I'd be comfortable, and then I'm satisfied, but the quote of, ‘Good is the enemy of great.’ So maybe I would have been satisfied. But for me, I looked at that, and God had more in store for me. He wasn't going to allow comfort to get in the way of that. So I've got a pretty big chip on my shoulder, yeah."

Despite an unusual offseason, Lorenzen asserted he could pitch in a Major League game today if they asked him to. He’s been working out in California, both at his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, and at Concordia University and has thrown as many as 70 pitches, or four innings for his Spring Training equivalent. He was scheduled to throw five innings on Friday if he hadn’t signed with the Rangers.

“I made the point, obviously, it seemed like it was going to be a long offseason for me based off of just the action that we were getting, so I just knew I had to stay in shape, and follow a progression and follow a plan,” Lorenzen said. “I feel pretty built-up, and I'm pretty happy with where I'm at.”

That being said, how does Lorenzen’s signing affect the Rangers’ pitching staff, in the short and the long term?

Here’s how the rotation depth plays out as of March 21:
Nathan Eovaldi (Opening Day starter)
Jon Gray
Andrew Heaney
Dane Dunning
Michael Lorenzen
Cody Bradford (bullpen?)

IL (in order of expected return)
Max Scherzer
Tyler Mahle
Jacob deGrom

Prospects
Jack Leiter (not on 40-man)
Owen White
Zak Kent
Cole Winn

White, Kent and Winn are on the 40-man roster, and White made his big league debut with two relief appearances last season, but all three have struggled throughout big league camp and were optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Leiter, on the other hand, has shown progress this spring and remained in big league camp while his Express teammates joined the Minor Leaguers. Young said it’s “unlikely” Leiter will make the Opening Day roster, but he also acknowledged the progress Leiter made this spring.

Scherzer is expected to return in June, Mahle in July and deGrom in August. Timelines are fluid, and a lot of things can happen between now and their return.

Lorenzen knew the makeup of the pitching staff when he signed. He came here wanting to win.

“More than anything, I'm ready to just put on display what I can offer,” he said. “It doesn't matter where I'm at, what situation, I just want to go out and perform to my fullest abilities. This offseason has given me that drive to make sure that that happens.”