3 Tigers players we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we wish stayed

Michael Lorenzen

Okay, will the Tigers miss Michael Lorenzen that much? Not at all. He was an innings eater and a No. 5 starter. But he was a good in both of those roles. I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him come back for another year.

Lorenzen was rock solid in a Tigers uniform. In 105.2 IP, he had a 3.58 ERA, a 3.86 FIP and a solid 3.07 K/BB ratio. He wasn't anything super special, but he got the job done. He even got his first career All-Star nod.

He was traded to the Phillies at the trade deadline for INF Hao-Yu Lee. After throwing a no-hitter in his first with Philly, he struggled to gain traction with them. He had a 5.51 ERA and 5.81 FIP in 47.1 IP. He had almost as many walks in not even half the innings with the Phillies had he did in Detroit.

Knowing that, it makes sense why he's still a free agent. His rough stint as a Phillie has probably scared some teams off. But when he was with the Tigers, he appeared to have figured something out. He was very thankful for the organization for helping him become a better pitcher. The Tigers were able to get the most out of him compared to any other team since he became a starter. Having him back in the fold wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

Think of it this way: would he have been worse than Jack Flaherty? At least when the Tigers signed Lorenzen last winter, there were signs that he still had something left in the tank, and he did. With Flaherty? I'm not sure what they see. But I've harped on that signing enough. This is about Lorenzen, who I would have been happy to see back in Detroit.