On Wednesday, Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the Mets have recently checked in on free-agent starters, including Michael Lorenzen.
However, they noted, “The communication likely reflects a desire to stay connected if they have another injury rather than imminent, serious interest.”
Lorenzen, 32, had a 4.18 ERA in 29 appearances (25 starts) between the Tigers and Phillies last season. Overall, he struggled with the Phillies (5.51 ERA), though he did throw a no-hitter on August 9.
Mets ace Kodai Senga recently got shut down with a posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder, which will have him sidelined for Opening Day. In his press conference where he announced the severity of Senga’s injury, president of baseball operations David Stearns proclaimed, “We’re always gonna be opportunistic and hear what’s out there, but I don’t think it really changes our thought process.”
Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Mets were one of the teams interested in right-hander starter Julio Teheran before he recently signed with the Orioles.
While it does not seem likely that the Mets will add more premier starting pitching at the moment, like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, Lorenzen could become a viable option as a depth piece. A previous report on Wednesday noted the Mets have had internal discussions about signing Montgomery in the event his price came down.
