The Colorado Rockies finally broke the winter silence with their first Major League free agent signing under their new-look front office.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Wednesday evening that the Rockies
and right-handed starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen have agreed to one-year, $8 million deal that will add much-needed veteran depth to the rotation. The contract also has a $9 million club option for 2027.
Lorenzen, 34, was originally a first-round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He attended California State University, Fullerton.
Something of a two-way player, Lorenzen made multiple starts in the outfield for the Reds in addition to his starting pitching duties. He was a career .233/.282/.429 hitter with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, and even five stolen bases over 133 at-bats before the adoption of the universal designated hitter in Major League Baseball.
Lorenzen spent his first seven big league seasons with the Reds, working largely as a reliever outside of his 2015 rookie campaign. Since leaving Cincinnati he has worked almost exclusively as a starting pitcher and has spent time with the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and most recently the Kansas City Royals.
While he isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher at this point in his career, Lorenzen does well when it comes to limiting walks and hard contact. He gets solid results from an extensive arsenal of pitches.
In 2025 with the Royals he threw a low-to-mid 90s four-seam fastball, a sinker, a changeup with some armside break, both a sweeper and slider, a cutter, and a looping 12-6 curveball. In addition, he posted a 4.64 ERA with a 4.59 FIP over 27 appearances—26 of which were starts—over 141 2/3 innings. Worth noting, he also led the league in wild pitches.
With a 4.08 career ERA over 11 seasons, Lorenzen is far from a flashy signing. However, he represents a solid veteran presence in a rotation that still has plenty of holes to fill before the start of the 2026 regular season. If he performs well, he could also be traded at the deadline for more organizational building blocks.
With the signing of Lorenzen and the acquisition of Keegan Thompson via waiver claim earlier today, the Rockies’ 40-man roster is now full.
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