Phillies land Michael Lorenzen in trade with Tigers

Phillies land Michael Lorenzen in trade with Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have agreed to send starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for second base prospect Hao-Yu Lee, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi first reported the news Tuesday ahead of the 6 p.m. EST MLB Trade Deadline.

Lorenzen was the Detroit Tigers’ sole All-Star in 2023. Lorenzen is in the midst of a career year at age 31. The right-handed pitcher has a 3.58 ERA and 122 ERA+ across 18 starts.

The Phillies should be able to slot Lorenzen into the back end of their rotation. The addition of Lorenzen should provide Philadelphia with some security as they look to continue their playoff push. The Phillies remain 11 games behind the Braves in the NL East; however, they are in the midst of a battle for a Wild Card spot.

This move leaves the Phillies with a rotation consisting of Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez and Lorenzen.

Lorenzen was an obvious trade candidate for the Tigers. Detroit signed Lorenzen to a one-year, $8.5 million deal in the offseason and would be forced to resign him in the offseason. Instead, they add a young prospect in return.

The Tigers were able to net the Phillies No. 5 prospect, Lee. The 20-year-old second basemen showed promise in the Phillies minor league system. In 2023, with the Phillies High-A affiliate, Lee has batted .283, with a .372 on-base percentage, 5 home runs, and 26 RBIs.

The Phillies signed Lee out of Taiwan in 2018 for $570,000. At the moment, according to MLB Pipeline, Lee is expected to reach the major league in 2025.

The Tigers’ decision to move off Lorenzen will also open a spot in the starting rotation and allow to give more innings to young prospects that are working to earn a role in future seasons.

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