DENVER -- Veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen has agreed to help the Rockies reimagine their pitching plans.
According to Major League sources, Lorenzen has agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract that includes a 2027 option worth $9 million. The club has not confirmed the deal.
Lorenzen, who turned 34 on Sunday, will be a rare free-agent starter who had not previously been with the Rockies to sign with them. The last three were Dakota Hudson, going into the 2024 season, Chad Kuhl, who agreed during Spring Training 2022, and Kyle Kendrick, going into 2015.
Whether it was pitchers wanting to avoid Colorado’s altitude or the team’s decisions to emphasize homegrown pitching, the Rockies have been largely out of the open market for starters. However, new general manager Josh Byrnes said this week that he detected interest from veterans willing to come in on “shorter deals,” and the team was discussing bringing in two.
While going 43-119 last year -- tying the 2003 Tigers for the third-worst record in the Modern Era (better than only the 1962 Mets’ 40-120 record and the 2024 White Sox 41-121 mark) -- the Rockies saw their starters post a 6.65 ERA, which was the highest in MLB since ERA became an official statistic in 1913.
Lorenzen spent the first seven years of his career with the Reds, but since 2021 he has signed one-year contracts with the Angels, Tigers (who traded him to the Phillies), Rangers (who traded him to the Royals) and Kansas City, as a free agent heading into last season.
Lorenzen was fantastic down the stretch for the Royals in 2024 after the trade from Texas, appearing in seven games -- with six starts -- and posting a 1.57 ERA in 28 2/3 innings after the Trade Deadline. He regressed to a 4.64 ERA over 141 2/3 innings in '25, though his 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings was his highest rate in a non-shortened season since Lorenzen was a full-time reliever in '19. The culprit was a career-worst 25 home runs allowed.
Lorenzen is just a few days on an active roster away from reaching 10 years of MLB service time. Over that time, his arsenal hasn’t changed much and his velocity has held up well -- he had peak years as a reliever in Cincinnati but has hovered around 94-95 mph with his four-seam fastball as a starter.
Between 2021-24, Lorenzen’s four-seamer was never touched for better than a .342 slugging percentage. Last season, however, batters slugged .505 against it, with six home runs and six doubles. That was the most homers Lorenzen has surrendered against the four-seamer since his rookie season in '15.
Lorenzen’s best putaway pitch over the last several seasons, including 2025, has been the changeup. He threw it 17.3 percent of the time last year, and it carried a 42.4 percent whiff rate with 35 strikeouts and two homers allowed in 115 plate appearances that ended in a changeup.
In addition to a solid track record, Lorenzen adds much-needed experience to the rotation. Of the projected 2026 starters, only lefty Kyle Freeland and righty Ryan Feltner (who missed much of '25 because of injuries) were beyond their rookie years last season. Potentially, right-hander Keegan Thompson -- formerly with the Cubs and claimed off waivers from the Reds on Wednesday -- can absorb some starts in addition to pitching multiple relief innings.