The New York Yankees had an amazing offseason. They managed to turn the table on its head after a terrible 2023 season. Moreover, they had a good pitching depth last year. But it was the offense that really let them down. Moreover, the Injured List was way too long for the NY side to control the situation. Things went out of hand when Aaron Judge sustained a severe torn ligament after a freak accident at the Los Angeles Dodgers fence. Without their only superstar hitter, the Bronx Bombers lost several games and eventually failed to make the postseason. Since then, the front office has made several significant changes to the roster.
They sacrificed their pitching depth to sign Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham. In the process, they bolstered their offense and batting depth, but it’s the pitching that suffered the consequences. Moreover, the Yankees have not been able to sign a solid starter in the offseason who can fit well alongside Gerrit Cole. Now that the 2023 AL Cy Young winner will miss one to two months of game time due to a right elbow injury, the Yankees don’t have a solid starter to replace their ace pitcher. Lately, they missed out on signing Michael Lorenzen to the reigning World Champions.
Yankees Lost Lorenzen To Rangers
From the very beginning of this winter, the NY side failed to sign a solid starter. They have been losing the best free agents for a starting pitcher since the start of the winter. For instance, they lost Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Los Angeles Dodgers despite the Pinstripes being the initial favorites to sign him. Lately, the Yankees lost Blake Snell to the San Francisco Giants. Previously, Corbin Burnes went to the Baltimore Orioles, making them the favorites to win the AL East once again. Similarly, the Yankees are constantly losing several good options for a starting pitcher ahead of the 2024 season.
Apparently, this year, the NY side wants to go all-in to redeem themselves. Lately, Michael Lorenzen signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers worth $4.5 million, as per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. However, on Sunday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees showed interest in the righty Lorenzen. MLB Pundits have been connecting Lorenzen to the Yankees since Cole’s right elbow injury. The city rivals, the Mets, were also contenders for the signing of Lorenzen. He was one of the best starters available besides Jordan Montgomery.
Can The Bronx Bombers Land Montgomery?
Lately, The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees are back in contact with Jordan Montgomery. However, Lorenzen could have been a cheaper deal than Montgomery. Moreover, Michael Lorenzen became an All-Star last year. He played for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023. Moreover, Lorenzen put up a 4.18 ERA and, in 153 innings, got 111 strikeouts.
Later, when he started the Phillies for the Second Time, he pitched a “No-hitter.” But as per Heyman, Montgomery, who’s a Scott Boras client, is the top available starting pitcher the Yankees will look at. They would like to add him to the group that features Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman. Cortes is supposed to replace Gerrit Cole on Opening Day in Houston.
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