This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers' Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- It’s freezing in Kansas City, and there are 10 inches of snow in my backyard, but the Royals finally supplied a little heat to the Hot Stove this week by re-signing a pitcher from their recent playoff run -- a reunion that made a whole lot of sense given the Royals’ needs.

They brought back Michael Lorenzen on a one-year deal on Monday evening, giving the righty a guaranteed $7 million -- $5.5 million for 2025 with a $1.5 million buyout on a $12 million mutual option for 2026. The deal is not official yet, as it is pending a physical, but in Lorenzen, the Royals now have a veteran pitcher who can fill a variety of roles for them.

When general manager J.J. Picollo stated earlier this offseason that he’d like to sign a swingman to help in the rotation or bullpen, depending on the need, everyone’s mind immediately went to Lorenzen, because that’s what he did for the Royals after they acquired him in 2024 from the Rangers a day before the Trade Deadline. He posted a 1.57 ERA in 28 2/3 innings for Kansas City; even missing time with a left hamstring strain, Lorenzen was excellent down the stretch. In total in ’24, Lorenzen threw 130 1/3 innings with a 3.31 ERA.

What this means for the rotation
When the Royals re-signed Michael Wacha at the very beginning of the offseason, they knew they had enough pitching to be able to use it to trade for a hitter -- which is what they did when they sent Brady Singer to the Reds for leadoff hitter Jonathan India, by far their biggest and most important acquisition this winter.

But Singer’s departure created some questions about the rotation: Who would fill those 179 2/3 innings Singer, a durable starter, contributed last season?

The Royals believe in their contingent of young starters, which includes Alec Marsh, Kris Bubic, Kyle Wright, Daniel Lynch IV and others. All will compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training. But the Royals can’t and won’t expect Bubic, who was a reliever last year in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, and Wright, who has not pitched since 2023 because of right shoulder surgery and will likely be delayed entering ’25, to contribute 180-plus innings as they put their injuries behind them. The Royals needed reliability, and Lorenzen provides that, while raising the competition in spring.

Kansas City’s rotation on Opening Day could include Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Wacha, Lorenzen and whoever wins the fifth starter competition, with the other options likely heading to the bullpen to begin the year. Bubic was great in relief last year, and Marsh and Lynch both showed potential there as well.

What comes next
This was the next big box checked off in the Royals’ offseason, and it pretty much shores up their pitching staff entering 2025 -- although they could always go find a reliever.

The Royals are still in the market for a middle-of-the-order bat, hoping to inject the lineup with some power in 2025, but it’s fair to wonder about the feasibility of that with who’s available on the trade and free-agent markets. There is still just over a month to go before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, though, so anything can still happen.