Michael Lorenzen reveals influence of Salvador Perez, Bobby Witt Jr. in signing $7,000,000 contract with Royals

The Kansas City Royals secured another major pitching piece by re-signing Michael Lorenzen on a one-year, $7 million deal on Wednesday. The veteran hurler shared the influence of Royals stars Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. on his return.

The Royals had been largely quiet in the offseason since securing a reunion with starter Michael Wacha earlier in the offseason. Although they had traded for Jonathan India, the return of Lorenzen was a major boost to the starting rotation.

After re-signing with the Royals, Lorenzen revealed the influence of Perez and Witt Jr. in a chat with MLB Network. He said:

"When you sign with a winning team they're doing something right? And I just felt like the clubhouse was incredible. Good leadership all around with guys like Salvador Perez. He's been in the organization forever.

"Then you have the young talent of Bobby Witt Jr., who shows up every day and plays hard, and then the starting rotation depth is incredible. So I mean, they just have all the pieces, and then the coaching staff does a great job, too."

The Royals had an 86-76 record last season, finishing second in the AL Central. It was the first winning record for the team after seven consecutive losing seasons. They also made the postseason for the first time since 2015 and both Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. were crucial in their run through to the playoffs.

Michael Lorenzen reflects on reunion with Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo

Michael Lorenzen is likely to be part of a five-man rotation that would feature Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. Lorenzen spoke about his reunion with Wacha and Lugo:

"I've known Michael Wacha since college, so it's always good to have that familiarity with him and then Seth Lugo, I had never met until I got traded over to Kansas City. But I've seen his work and have been impressed, and behind the scenes, he's a baseball player, and I just love guys that love baseball, and he's reading swings, and I just love the way he talks about the game.

"You know, all of us scout, and we all kind of scout with our own little angles of what we like to look at. But it's also good to, you know, see different perspectives."

Michael Lorenzen will be looking for more time on the mound this year as he managed a 1.57 ERA in just 28 2/3 innings after struggles with a hamstring issue with the Royals in 2024.