Michael Lorenzen Elects Free Agency

Michael Lorenzen cleared waivers after being outrighted by the Blue Jays, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The veteran righty will get an early start on the offseason after electing free agency. Lorenzen had a brief stint in Toronto, making six appearances in low-leverage relief after signing in late August. He allowed at least one run in five of those outings, twice taking the loss in the process. Lorenzen surrendered five runs across two innings against the Tigers on September 15, his final appearance of the season. Toronto designated him for assignment a few days later. The 34-year-old righty didn’t have much more success earlier in the season with Colorado. Lorenzen’s $8MM free agent contract with the Rockies didn’t pan out. He allowed more than seven earned runs per nine across 115 2/3 innings and was released in the middle of August. The Rockies remained on the hook for his salary — minus the prorated $780K league minimum that he made from Toronto for his near-month on their roster. Lorenzen finishes the year with a 7.21 ERA over 127 1/3 innings between the two clubs. It’s nearly a full run higher than that of any other pitcher who reached 100 frames this season. (Former teammate Kyle Freeland has the second-highest ERA at 6.38.) There’s a decent chance he’ll need to take a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite this offseason. View Comments (1)