Former KC Royals starter pitched as two-way player in free agency signing plot

The MLB offseason always provides plenty of twists and turns to keep fans on their toes, and it seems a former pitcher for the Kansas City Royals is providing the latest talking point with his unique approach to free agency marketing. On December 19, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that starter Michael Lorenzen — who pitched for the Royals during 2024 — is being marketed to teams as a two-way player, which would allow him to circumvent the MLB-imposed roster limit on pitchers.

"Lorenzen, who turns 33 on Jan. 4, has not hit in a major-league game since 2021, and has not had more than one plate appearance in a season since 2019," Rosenthal wrote. "Not to worry. The idea conceived by Lorenzen and his agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA, could make the pitcher a free-agent fit for non-contenders such as the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins — and a coveted trade target later."

Michael Lorenzen is being pitched as a two-way player in free agency

The plan isn't to convince anyone that Lorenzen is secretly a great hitter. Instead, Lorenzen and his agent just want to get him enough plate appearances to qualify as a two-way player, which would then allow him to circumvent MLB's pitcher limit.

In June 2022, MLB introduced a rule that limits the number of pitchers on each team's 26-man roster to 13, but players that meet the criteria to be classified as two-way — pitching at least 20 innings and playing at least 20 games (with a least three plate appearances in each game) as a position player or designated hitter — don't count towards that limit. The Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is the only player to have qualified as a two-way player since the current criteria was introduced in 2020.

According to Rosenthal, Lorenzen's agent is encouraging non-contending clubs to sign Lorenzen this winter, get him enough plate appearances during the first half of the season to qualify as a two-way player, and then flip him at the trade deadline for a large return. The idea is that once Lorenzen can circumvent the pitcher limit as a two-way player, his value will rise exponentially since contending teams will be able to carry him as a 14th pitcher, one more than any of their opponents.

While contending teams like the Dodgers or New York Yankees probably won't want to give Lorenzen the necessary number of plate appearances to meet the criteria as a two-way player themselves, they would likely be interested in acquiring him once he can be an extra arm that doesn't count towards their pitcher limit. That opens an opportunity for a rebuilding team like the White Sox or Marlins to bring Lorenzen on for a brief stint at the start of 2025, and then get an inflated return for him at the trade deadline.

So will this plan work? It's perfectly allowed under all MLB rules, so if Lorenzen's agent can convince a non-contending team to do their part, there's no reason it won't. Plus, two-way players are able to carry their status into the following season, so if he's able to meet the criteria in 2025, he will be able to continue circumventing the rule in 2026, too.

And who knows? Maybe Lorenzen will be the Royals' trade deadline acquisition for the second year in a row.

Kansas City acquired Lorenzen in a trade with the Texas Rangers on July 29, and he became a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. The right-hander pitched 28.2 innings for the Royals during the regular season, posting a 2-0 record, 1.57 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts, holding opposing batters to an average of just .183. Lorenzen made two relief appearances during the Royals' playoff campaign, posting a 3.86 ERA with 3 strikeouts.