When the Colorado Rockies signed Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $8 million contract in January 2026, it was pretty straightforward thinking. The Rockies were overhauling their rotation, and for good reason. They went out looking for some affordable veteran experience . Colorado’s rotation in the 2025 season posted a collective 6.65 ERA. That was the highest by any team in a single season since 1893. That’s not a typo. 1893. To say that Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes had their work cut out for them is the understatement of the year. They went out and signed three veteran arms in Michael Lorenzen at $8 million; Tomoyuki Sugano f or $5.1 million; and Jose Quintana for $6 million. All on one-year deals. Same strategy, same rotation, same ballpark. Three very different results.…