Story by
Detroit Tigers trade Michael Lorenzen to Philadelphia Phillies for prospect Hao-Yu Lee
- Story by
- Detroit Tigers trade Michael Lorenzen to Philadelphia Phillies for prospect Hao-Yu Lee
PITTSBURGH — The Detroit Tigers traded right-handed starter Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday afternoon, less than three hours before Tuesday's 6 p.m. trade deadline.
The 31-year-old, a nine-year MLB veteran and a first-time All-Star this season, is set to become a free agent after the 2023 campaign. In return, the Tigers received 20-year-old infielder Hao-Yu Lee .
Advertisement
Lee was the Phillies' No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline , and enters his new organization as the Tigers' No. 6 prospect.
"The Phillies are a really good team," Lorenzen said Tuesday at 5 p.m. when the deal became official. "I played with quite a few of them when I was younger (including ex-Tiger Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper ), so it'll be fun to play with them again. It's going to be exciting. Good atmosphere, good city. I'm excited for the opportunity."
WHEN HE SIGNED: Why Tigers see Michael Lorenzen as a starting pitcher with untapped potential
Tigers pitcher Michael Lorenzen throws a pitch in the second inning against the Orioles on Friday, April 21, 2023, in Baltimore.
Lee has played 67 games in the Phillies' organization this season, including 64 games for High-A Jersey Shore. He hit .279 at the High-A level with five home runs, 30 walks (10.2% walk rate) and 56 strikeouts (18.6% strikeout rate) in 297 plate appearances, posting a .762 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
Advertisement
He has experience at second base, third base and shortstop in the minor leagues, but evaluators believe he will develop as a second baseman. He primarily played second base for High-A Jersey Shore this season.
The Phillies signed Lee out of Taiwan for $570,000 in June 2021.
Scott Harris, the Tigers' president of baseball operations, has made two trades with the Phillies in the calendar year. Before Lorenzen, the Tigers traded left-handed reliever Gregory Soto and utility player Kody Clemens to the Phillies for three position players — Matt Vierling, Nick Maton and Donny Sands — in January 2023 .
"Hao-Yu Lee is the type of position playing prospect that we've been after," Harris said Tuesday. "He's hit at every level. He's still very young. He swings at the right pitches. He makes a ton of contact. He drives the ball in the air. We also think the power is on the come, and he can play multiple positions on the dirt. We need more of those types of bats in our system."
Advertisement
PREVIEW: Tigers have obvious trade candidates, but who else could be moved?
Before joining the Phillies, Lorenzen pitched for the Cincinnati Reds (2015-21), Los Angeles Angels (2022) and Tigers (2023). He served as a starting pitcher in the 2015 season before spending six years in the bullpen.
Lorenzen returned to his favorite role as starter with the Angels in 2022, and upon joining the Tigers in 2023, he took the next step in establishing himself as a reliable starter in the big leagues.
He signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Tigers in December 2022.
For the Tigers, Lorenzen posted a 3.58 ERA with 27 walks (6.5% walk rate) and 83 strikeouts (19.9% strikeout rate) across 105⅔ innings in 18 starts. He carried a scoreless streak 22⅔ innings in parts of five starts from June 30 through July 27. Earlier in the season, he logged a 1.83 ERA in six starts from May 3 through June 3.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen celebrates a double play against the Seattle Mariners to end the first inning at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Saturday, July 15, 2023.
"Michigan was incredible," Lorenzen said. "Detroit, incredible. My wife and I loved everything about it. We appreciate Tigers fans and the city and the staff here. They followed through on their promise for me: 'You're going to come here, and we're going to make you better.' They definitely did that. I told Scott on the phone, 'You followed through, and I appreciate that.'"
Advertisement
The Tigers helped Lorenzen develop into a better starter by reducing his arsenal from seven pitches to five pitches, ditching his cutter and curveball.
His five-pitch mix: 33.7% four-seam fastballs, 24.2% sliders, 20.8% changeups, 11.7% sinkers and 7.6% sweepers. He throws his fastball and slider to both right-handed and left-handed hitters while attacking lefties with his changeup and righties with his sinker and sweeper.
He increased the usage of his "bullet" slider from 4.4% in 2022 to 24.2% in 2023.
In his nine-year career, Lorenzen has tossed 676⅔ innings — starting 62 of his 331 games — with a 4.02 ERA, 3.6 walks per nine innings and 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He made his MLB debut in 2015 with the Reds.
Advertisement
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers trade Michael Lorenzen to Phillies for infield prospect
