Opening Day has yet to arrive, and the 2024 campaign is off to a shaky start as the injury bug has already nipped the Mets.
Projected Opening Day starter and ace Kodai Senga has suffered a shoulder strain which will shut down the 31-year-old for at least three weeks after receiving a PRP injection to help with the injury.
With Senga likely missing from the roster to begin the season, the Mets will need to look elsewhere for starting pitching.
While new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has done a stellar job adding depth to the rotation, none of them can replace the production of Senga. Supposedly, the Mets are targeting a former all-star to add to their rotation.
The Mets are targeting Michael Lorenzen
According to Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets have checked in with RHP Michael Lorenzen.
Lorenzen is coming off a 2023 campaign that was a tale of two halves. The California native pitched 105.2 innings across 18 starts to a 3.58 ERA with 1.098 WHIP and struck out 83 while making his first career all-star game representing the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers then shipped Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline, where he struggled to replicate the same level of productivity.
Despite throwing a no-hitter in his second start, repping the red and white, Lorenzen struggled to replicate the same success he had in the Motor City and was eventually demoted to the bullpen.
The 32-year-old finished his time in Philadelphia, pitching 47.1 innings across 11 appearances, seven of which were starts, to a 5.51 ERA with a 1.458 WHIP and 28 strikeouts.
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Why does signing Lorenzen make sense?
It just makes too much sense for both sides for them not to come to an agreement.
Coming to Flushing on a potential one-year deal, perhaps with a player option for 2025, would allow the California native to reset his market value if he pitched well again in 2024.
For the blue and orange, if they struggle once again, Lorenzen would become an excellent trade chip at the deadline and certainly bring in some more prospects to a farm system that is still in the process of being rejuvenated.
Lorenzen to the Mets seems like a match made in heaven, but time will tell whether or not the two sides can come to an agreement.