Rival 2024 free agent has motivation Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery lack: Revenge

MLB free agency played out differently this past offseason than fans and players have been accustomed to. Several of the top free agents remained available throughout all of Spring Training and approaching Opening Day. Even Tommy Pham, a veteran who played really well last season signed after Opening Day.

Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery received most of the spotlight when it came to players who were available for far too long, but they're far from the only ones who were available. A more affordable starting pitcher, Michael Lorenzen, was sitting there the whole time. Lorenzen, an All-Star last season, didn't sign until March 20, eight days before Opening Day. The terms? One year, $4.5 million with $2.5 million for incentives. That's it. He was joining the defending champion Texas Rangers.

Mind you, Frankie Montas signed a one-year $16 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds after recording just four outs in 2023. Lance Lynn got $11 million from the St. Louis Cardinals after giving up the most home runs in the majors. Lorenzen pitched at a high level for much of last season, yet he had to sign when Spring Training was essentially over, and got under $5 million guaranteed.

Lorenzen expressed his discontent with his free agency process in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required)

"Lorenzen said he was “pretty frustrated, for sure” by the tepid interest he generated on the open market. He recalled telling his agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA, 'I’m going to call you before every start and you’re going to remind me how this offseason went so I go out there and pitch remembering exactly how I feel at this moment.’”

Lorenzen wanted to prove he was worth what he was initially asking for, same with Snell and Montgomery who also signed short-term deals. Unlike Snell and Montgomery though, Lorenzen has pitched really well.

Michael Lorenzen outperforming rival free agents, channeling revenge

Lorenzen wound up missing the start of the season due to a neck strain, but since returning in mid-April, he has pitched extremely well.

The right-hander has a 3.05 ERA in 10 starts and 59 innings of work. He has completed six or more innings in eight of his ten starts, and has allowed three earned runs or fewer eight times as well. He has gotten very little run support, but has done an outstanding job of keeping the Rangers in games.

Meanwhile, Snell has missed substantial time due to injury and has an ERA over 9.00 in six starts. Montgomery has been healthy, but struggled so mightily to the point where he was booed off the mound by Diamodnbacks fans in Arizona recently. Those two pitchers will see their value only shrink in free agency next offseason while Lorenzen figures to get a lot of attention if he pitches like this.

“I’m a human and I’m a sinner and I want to seek revenge,” Lorenzen said. “But my revenge is just going out and competing. I always had that drive to want to get better. But there are different levels, different gears. You have a fourth gear and fifth gear. It definitely kicked me back into fifth gear.”

Lorenzen is pitching better than he ever has, and is doing so despite his late start to the season. He's pitching angry, and it's working for him. The same cannot be said for his former free agency rivals.