Fantasy Outlooks for Michael Lorenzen and J.D. Martinez With New Teams
Discussing the landing spots and fantasy outlooks for Michael Lorenzen and J.D. Martinez.
Two more MLB free agents signed deals over the past couple days, so it’s time to address both players and their fantasy outlooks for the 2024 season.
Earlier this week, we looked at the fantasy outlook for Blake Snell, and mentioned some other free agents available. Today, we’ll discuss Michael Lorenzen and J.D. Martinez.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Michael Lorenzen Fantasy Outlook
Lorenzen didn’t get a big contract, but landed in a great situation, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers late on Wednesday.
Lorenzen has pitched nine years in the MLB, posting a career 4.11 earned run average. He’s not a big strikeout guy, with 602 out 724 innings pitched. Lorenzen has a career record of 40-38.
Last season, Lorenzen pitched for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. He went 9-9 with a 4.18 ERA, striking out 111 batters over 153 innings. Lorenzen made 29 appearances (25 starts).
Lorenzen figures to join the team’s starting rotation at some point, but might need to be built up as a long reliever to open the season. Keep your eyes out for news on that front.
Even if he doesn’t find success in the Rangers’ rotation, Lorenzen should have no problems being the team’s long relief guy out of the bullpen. Of course, that won’t be very appealing to fantasy owners, but he provides great versatility for Texas, and on a pretty cheap deal too. A reason the Rangers needed an additional starting pitcher was because Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Max Scherzer are all likely on the injured list to open the season.
Lorenzen wasn’t on the most recent version of FantasySP’s Average Draft Position list, but he definitely could be a fantasy asset with the team Texas will back him up with.
The Rangers have one of the better lineups in the league, meaning every time Lorenzen makes a start, he’s got a decent chance of earning a win. He will still have to pitch fairly well to be a passable fantasy starter, but if he can just match his career marks, he’s at least a solid streaming option for 2024.
J.D. Martinez Fantasy Outlook
Martinez finally found a home on Thursday evening, signing with the New York Mets.
Martinez has played 13 years in the big leagues. He’s got a career .287 batting average and a .350 on-base percentage. Martinez has 315 career home runs and 1,002 RBIs over 1,522 games played.
Martinez played 113 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. He had a .271 average and .321 OBP. Martinez clubbed 33 home runs and drove in 103 runs across his 117 total hits.
He should slot into the heart of the Mets’ lineup, which is a good place to be. The projected lineup has Brandon Nimmo batting first, Francisco Lindor second and Pete Alonso third. Alonso might take away some run-scoring chances by clearing the bases himself, but if Martinez can get in near a full season of games, he’s got the chance to drive in 100+ runs and club 30+ homers again.
The only “bad” thing with Martinez is that he almost strictly was a designated hitter last season, meaning he’ll only be available to start as a utility hitter (or in the DH slot). He’s a good enough hitter to occupy that spot every day, but you’ll have to plan accordingly so that you aren’t sitting valuable fantasy hitters every day.
Martinez was ranked 260th on the ADP chart with a 218.15 mark as of Friday morning, and that number should rise between now and the start of the regular season. There’s some durability concerns after only playing 113 games last season and being at age 36, but I still see another productive season or two from Martinez.
Other Free Agents Available
I mentioned some of the top free agents in the Snell story, but I’ll put them at the end of this story as well.
Jordan Montgomery is now the clear No. 1 free agent starting pitcher available. With the Rangers signing Lorenzen, a reunion with the Rangers now seems unlikely for Montgomery.
Noah Syndergaard, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke and Mike Clevinger are some other pitchers available, while Tommy Pham, Evan Longoria, Robbie Grossman and Donovan Solano are some of the better free agent hitters.
We’ll cover fantasy outlooks for these guys if/when they sign with a team, so be sure to check back!
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