3 teams who lost out on Michael Lorenzen's affordable contract with Rangers

Veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen is headed to the Texas Rangers on a one-year, $4.5 million contract. The deal also includes incentives that can ultimately earn Lorenzen up to $7 million.

The Rangers ultimately appear to have passed on Jordan Montgomery but are still adding a viable rotation arm and somebody who can serve as both a starter and a reliever.

This is a contract that any team could have afforded to give Lorenzen. It isn't a contract that forces the Rangers to break the bank by any means.

In this piece, we will discuss three teams that missed the boat by not signing Lorenzen.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

While the Rays do have plenty of pitching depth, they could stand to use another arm.

The team traded Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter, and they also are without Shane McClanahan for the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Even Drew Rasmussen is still recovering from an elbow surgery.

That leaves Zach Eflin as their best starter. The current rotation certainly doesn't look strong heading into the 2024 season.

This is why it would have made sense for the Rays to have signed Lorenzen. Even as a small-market team, they would have been able to afford a deal such as this.

Lorenzen was an All-Star in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, and he could have been a key addition to the Rays rotation.

Instead, their rotation remains thin with so many injuries. And with other teams in the AL East, namely the Baltimore Orioles adding pitching depth, the Rays could get crowded out in a strong and powerful division as they try to piece together a starting five that can get them through the season.

For now, the Rays have work to do.

2. St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a team that always seems to be short on pitching depth these days, especially in their rotation.

While they added Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson to fill holes in their rotation, the latter two have struggled this spring, and Gray has been ruled out for Opening Day after suffering a hamstring injury.

Lorenzen would at least give them a viable arm that they could trust to take the ball every fifth day.

Granted, the Cardinals really need a top-level starter such as Jordan Montgomery, but a reunion with the left-hander appears unlikely at this point. But Lorenzen could have been the next best option.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals seem to be ignoring the obvious, that two of their rotation signings have already proven to be mistakes and that they need an extra arm in order to be able to get through the 2024 season.

This is all occurring as the Cardinals attempt to bounce back from their worst season since 1990, and the idea of them falling into the same trap that cost them 2023 is certainly a scary thought for a fanbase that isn't used to losing.

1. Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have made it perfectly clear that they have no interest in adding to their current ballclub and trying to compete in 2024.

They signed Lucas Giolito, but the right-hander is out for the season after undergoing elbow surgery. The Red Sox desperately need to replace him, and they don't seem terribly interested in targeting Montgomery.

This is going to be a problem for a team that has finished in last place in the AL East three out of four years. The club hardly looks any different than it did last year, all the while, major pieces from that club are now no longer with the team.

Lorenzen was certainly affordable, but the Red Sox appear averse to even slightly increasing their payroll.

With the AL East being as competitive as it is, another last place finish may be on the horizon for a team that was once an American League powerhouse.

Times have changed in Boston, and not exactly for the better when concerning the Red Sox.

Their unwillingness to try for Lorenzen certainly doesn't bode well for them as far as the Montgomery sweepstakes go. We'll see if they have one more move up their sleeves.