Veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen has agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rockies, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
The deal, which has not been confirmed by the club, includes a $9 million club option for 2027.
Since pitching his first seven seasons for the Reds, Lorenzen has been a free agent for five straight offseasons, signing a slew of short-term deals with the Angels, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers and Royals.
Lorenzen was fantastic down the stretch for Kansas City in 2024 after a trade from Texas, appearing in seven games – with six starts – and posting a 1.57 ERA in 28 innings after the Trade Deadline. He regressed in 2025 to a 4.64 ERA in 141 2/3 innings, 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 2019. The culprit was a career-worst 25 home runs allowed.
The 33-year-old 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 decently 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 .341 slugging percentage. Last season, however, batters slugged .509 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 2015.
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.
