After 2 years with Royals, pitcher Michael Lorenzen finds new home to the west
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen signed a one-year, $8M deal with Rockies.
- He departs Royals after two seasons, posting a 4.64 ERA in 2025 over 26 starts.
- Royals retain rotation depth with Ragans, Lugo, Wacha, Bubic and Cameron in 2026.
The Kansas City Royals entered the offseason with a good amount of starting pitching depth.
The club hasn’t added a starter so far. And on Wednesday, they actually lost one: Right-hander Michael Lorenzen agreed to a free-agent deal with the Colorado Rockies.
Lorenzen, 34, spent the last two seasons with the Royals. He entered free agency after posting a 4.64 ERA in 27 games (26 starts). According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the Rockies signed Lorenzen to a one-year contract worth $8 million.
The Royals utilized Lorenzen as a starter in 2025. The 34-year-old MLB veteran helped mentor younger members of KC’s rotation, such as Noah Cameron, Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. The Royals saw growth from that trio down the stretch.
Lorenzen will get a chance to keep starting with the Rockies, and KC could see him again relatively soon. The Royals will play a series at Colorado from July 31-Aug. 2.
Lorenzen came to the Royals in a 2024 trade with the Texas Rangers and became a key part of their postseason pursuits. He provided innings out of the bullpen before maintaining the fifth starter spot this past season.
The Royals are expected to enter the 2026 seasonn with a potential starting rotation of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Bubic and Cameron.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 7:11 PM.
