3 'second tier' free agent starting pitchers the Angels should pursue

3) Michael Lorenzen

The Angels helped Michael Lorenzen regain value as a starting pitcher in this league after he started 18 games for them in 2022 and pitched fairly well. He inked a one-year deal with the Tigers to prove himself again, and all he did in Detroit was make the all-star team.

Lorenzen pitched wonderfully in the first half for the Tigers, posting a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts before being traded to the Phillies at the deadline. His first two starts with Philadelphia went wonderfully as he even threw a no-hitter in his home debut, but Lorenzen really fell off after that, struggling in his next five starts and being moved back to the bullpen where he'd pitch in low leverage the rest of the way including the playoffs.

Despite the rough finish, Lorenzen still had a 4.18 ERA in 29 appearances (25 starts) and would make some sense as a return candidate. He set a career high with 153 innings pitched, but with the way he finished it's fair to question whether he can handle a full season starting pitcher workload.

There're obvious concerns, however, he's only projected to earn a two-year deal worth $22 million which for how expensive starting pitchers are, that'd be a bargain. If he pitches like he did for the Tigers it'd be among the biggest steals of the offseason undoubtedly.

He's not nearly as enticing as Stroman or Imanaga, but there aren't many 'second tier' guys left, especially with the Angels likely not considering a Lucas Giolito reunion. It'd be far from the perfect addition, but that doesn't mean it'd be a bad one.