San Diego Padres Interested in Phillies Free Agent Starter

The Philadelphia Phillies may not have much interest in bringing back their trade deadline acquisition from last season, but that doesn’t mean he’s not getting nibbles in free agency.

The San Diego Padres became the latest team to show some interest in pitcher Michael Lorenzen, as reported by MLB.com.

The Baltimore Orioles are another team that has reportedly shown interest in the 32-year-old right-hander.

The Phillies traded for Lorenzen at the deadline in an attempt to bolster their rotation. The Detroit Tigers converted him into a starter in 2022, and through more than a season with the Tigers he threw well, as he went 13-13 with an ERA around 4.00. He was an All-Star with the Tigers in 2023.

Lorenzen started brilliantly for the Phillies, as he threw eight innings of two-hit baseball in his debut against the Marlins, and then followed it by throwing a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals.

Unfortunately for Lorenzen, his performance took a downturn after that and he eventually found himself in the bullpen during the Phillies’ stretch run the regular season and the postseason.

With Philadelphia he went 4-2 with a 5.51 ERA in 11 games (seven starts) with 28 strikeouts and 20 walks in 47.1 innings.

The Phillies haven’t been active in the starting pitching market, with the exception of signing their own free agent, Aaron Nola, to a seven-year, $172 million deal.

Nola helps anchor a rotation that has six options entering spring training — Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez and Kolby Allard, who signed a deal with the Phillies this offseason.

The Phillies also have options on the arm, including their No. 2 prospect, Mick Abel.