Rangers pick up lefty Pennington in deal for Lorenzen

ST. LOUIS -- When the Rangers signed Michael Lorenzen on the last day of Spring Training, the hope was that he would be able to provide the rotation with depth and innings while a trio of veterans -- Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle -- opened the year on the injured list.

Lorenzen did his job, posting a 3.81 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings across 19 games (18 starts) for Texas. He ranks among Rangers team leaders in starts (tied for second), innings (third), and strikeouts (fourth). But with Scherzer back, and both deGrom and Mahle trending upward in their Tommy John rehab, Lorenzen became the odd man out in the rotation.

TRADE DETAILS
Royals acquire: RHP Michael Lorenzen
Rangers acquire: LHP Walter Pennington

“As it related to Michael, I think part of the equation here was that Michael signed here to start,” said general manager Chris Young. “We just felt like we owed it to Michael to give him the opportunity to start that he's going to have that in Kansas City.

“We're going to have a crunch here coming with Tyler Mahle returning, Cody Bradford's back already. We felt like we had some protection in the length and the ability to fit starters in and then eventually Jacob deGrom coming back. Looking ahead, in terms of being fair to Michael and giving him an opportunity that he deserved, that was part of it.”

On Monday morning, the Rangers announced that they acquired left-hander Walter Pennington from the Royals in a trade for Lorenzen a day ahead of Tuesday's 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline.

Pennington, who is currently on option at Triple-A Omaha, will be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Pennington signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of the Colorado School of Mines, where he finished with a 24-10 record over 51 appearances (30 starts), including six complete games, three saves and one shutout. He’s spent his entire professional career with Kansas City’s organization.

The left-hander, who did not open the season on the Royals’ Top 30 prospects list per MLB Pipeline, made his MLB debut on July 5 against the Rockies, tossing two-thirds of an inning without allowing a hit or a run. It was his only glimpse of big league action this year, as he’s spent most of the season with Triple-A Omaha, where he’s posted a 2.26 ERA in 59 2/3 innings across 37 games (two starts). He’s averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Rangers have two left-handers in the bullpen right now with Jacob Latz and Bradford, who was recently activated. Pennington could also be an option in the coming weeks.

“We felt like we're getting a reliever in Walter who has had a lot of success at Triple-A. We really like him,” Young said. “He's a carry-forward piece into 2025 and beyond. Building our bullpen next year is going to be critically important to our success next year. So the opportunity to acquire someone who can help us now and in the future was really important to us and making this decision to move Michael.”