Yankees targeting this All-Star righty after missing out on Dylan Cease?

The New York Yankees are going back to the drawing board after their failed pursuit of Dylan Cease.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that the Yankees have checked in on right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The 32-year-old Lorenzen is still a free agent, and the Chicago White Sox are another team in play for him as well, Heyman adds.

Lorenzen was an All-Star last year for the Detroit Tigers before being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in August and then throwing a memorable no-hitter for them. 

Overall, Lorenzen was 9-9 with a 4.18 ERA in 153.0 innings pitched in 2023.

Granted, Lorenzen doesn’t have great velocity or swing-and-miss stuff and is also prone to bouts of inconsistency. But the Yankees need the rotation help with Cease getting traded to the San Diego Padres instead and Gerrit Cole likely facing a multi-month absence. 

At least Lorenzen should be cheaper than this other starting pitcher the Yankees have long been linked to.