Last Thursday, at the same time news was breaking that the Colorado Rockies had arrived at a deal with Willi Castro, Paul DePodesta and Michael Lorenzen addressed media in two separate Zoom availabilities.

Last week, Evan Lang provided an overview of Lorenzen’s career and a glimpse of what the signing might mean, and Sam Bradfield covered some of the highlights of his interview. At this point, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the things that weren’t said — but are significant — in both pressers.

The Rockies pitching staff is recruiting

Lorenzen was clear that the Rockies new staff played a significant role in his decision to sign with Colorado — “I’ve known a lot of them for a really long time,“ Lorenzen said. His explanation of those relationships are worth quoting at length:

I’ve known Alon (Leichman) since I was, shoot, since 2017, I want to say — before he was in pro ball. So I’ve known him for a really long time, and me and him have kind of kept in touch throughout the years. And so when he told me he was interviewing for the job, I was stoked for him, and he mentioned that he was going to try and bring me in if he ended up getting the job, which is pretty cool that we’re able to work together.

And then Matt Daniels, I worked with, he’s the new pitching coordinator. I worked with him when he was at Driveline — the first time I went to DriveLine back in like, 2017, so I’ve known him for a really long time as well.

And then, I’ve known Gabe (Ribas) for a really long with the Tigers. Me and him are really close in spring training, so he cares. He’s really smart, good leader. So that’s the background when it comes to the pitching side.

And then I had (Jeff) Pickler on the coaching staff in Cincinnati. He’s the bench coach now, obviously. And so he likes to think outside the box, and, I like to say, he doesn’t play scared, which is nice.

And then Brett Pill went to Cal State Fullerton. So, it just seemed like, man, I know, everyone. It’s just great. It was a perfect fit.

What Lorenzen is saying, then, is that he decided to sign with Colorado in large part due to relationships he’s built over the years with the Rockies’ new coaching staff. For years, the Rockies were notoriously insular and unwilling to take risks. That Lorenzen chose to sign with them shows the benefits of bringing in new personnel and new ideas.

He’ll bring the pitching approach of the Kansas City Royals

In 2024 when the Kansas City Royals were in Denver, I interviewed a number of their pitching staff (see here and here). What emerged as less interesting than the interviews themselves, however, was the attitude of the starting rotation as a whole. With Michael Wacha taking a lead role, the Royals rotation developed a “workshop” mentality. They would watch each others bullpens and debrief together when the starter came out of the game. Lorenen spent the last two years working in that environment.

Cole Ragans described the workshop atmosphere like this:

We mesh very well. Everybody has a different way of pitching and a different way of thinking about pitching, but we all pick each other’s brains about things, talk to each other when we come out of the game, and we talk about what we see, even if it’s lefty or righty. We talk about what we saw and the little things to kind of help out the next guy that’s going the next day or two days or three days from then.

The Royals created a safe environment for taking risks and devalued ego: The emphasis was on collective success.

Here’s how Lorenzen described bringing those values to Coors Field:

I definitely love the process of Kansas City. And the reason behind that is just there was no ego. It was, “We just want to win, and we want what works best and what allows us to perform at the best of our ability.”

Sometimes ego can get in the way a little bit, in a sense, to where it’s like, “Hey, you’re not doing what I’ve asked you to do. And it’s even though it may not be the right thing, it’s what I what I asked you to do. So just do it.” You know, one of those situations, which I’m not saying any team that I’ve been on has done that, but it can get there.

And with Kansas City, there was just absolutely no egos, like, “Hey, we don’t care what you do. Go ahead and try it. We like it. If it works, then go for it.”

And I think this staff is definitely going to be that way, for sure. And I think just doing that alone, we should see some improvement in guys taking ownership of their careers and being more in tune with, like I said before, problem solving, trying to figure out how do we problem solve? How do we put certain pieces together? Because that’s what it takes to perform at the big leagues, and that’s what it takes to stay at the big leagues, is you got to be able to problem solve. You have to be able to adapt. And so, this staff is definitely going to be a staff that that is adaptable, and we’re going to be able to adapt to adversity.

Given that part of what Lorenzen will be doing in the coming season is mentoring young pitchers, having a leader with this approach should prove valuable for the Rockies.

Michael Lorenzen, welcome to the Mile High Baseball Nerd Club!

Here’s the thing about pitchers — and you probably already know this, but I just want to reiterate the point. Good pitchers are nerds. Complete and total nerds. In the best possible way.

The first thing Lorenzen said when asked about why he signed with Colorado was loving a challenge:

One of the things is just, I feel like it’s untapped. And I don’t think you could say that about anywhere else in Major League Baseball, that you get to go to a place that’s just, it feels like it’s untapped. It feels like there’s a lot of new information to be learned. And that’s kind of right up my alley.

I think if as you get to know me throughout the year, you’ll see that I enjoy problem solving. Failure is going to happen. Trials are going to happen. You’re going to get your teeth kicked in, but it’s the problem solving and how to make the adjustment. That’s something that I really enjoy.

And Colorado, I feel like, presents that opportunity. And so with that being said, the staff, too, that they’ve hired, it just seems like I’ve known a lot of them for a really long time, and it just seemed like the perfect fit to where we are all going to be on the same page of “How do we solve this problem?” You could take it from the perspective of look at the word “problem” in a negative way, or you can look at the word “problem” from the perspective of opportunity. That’s always intrigued me about Colorado.

There’s a lot to unpack. Lorenzen wants the challenge, and feels like he’s found a staff that he can collaborate with.

The familiarity’s there, and what’s nice, too, is they’re all pretty young, so I don’t feel like they’re too far off from my age.

So, it’ll be really nice in a sense of I’m already talked to Alon, and there’s going to be some back and forth between me and him, which I think is really good. Through the debates, and like, “No, I think this is how we do it.” He’s like, “No, I think you’re dumb, and I think we should do it this way.” And it’s like, “Well, that doesn’t make sense to me.”

I think we’ll be able to have honest conversations like that. When you can have honest conversations like that, that’s how you really grow, and that’s how you really solve problems.

That right there, Reader, is the good stuff: an approach cracking the Rubik’s cube of Coors Field using science, trust, and collaboration.

Lorenzen revealed during the presser that he’s created a variation on his changeup over the offseason. One of the benefits of signing Lorenzen is his eight-pitch mix. Leichman and his staff will have a skilled veteran pitcher to test any range of pitches to see how they work.

Think of him as a kind of pitching lab rat — and I write that as the highest compliment.

Also worth noting, he’s planning to come to Coors Field soon to throw a bullpen and see how his stuff plays at elevation. These are all signs of a pitcher embracing a challenge.

No one knows that the 2026 Colorado Rockies will look like. But we do know they’ll look different, and we’re going to see a new kind of baseball at Coors Field.

Bring it on.

Reminder: Rockies Fest is this weekend

Here’s a list of attendees and schedule:

Hope to see you there!

For Lorenzen, joining Rox brings pitching connection full-circle | MLB.com

This Thomas Harding article is well worth your time. In addition to describing Michael Lorenzen’s relationship to the Rockies pitching staff, Harding also delves into the pitcher’s training with Ido Portal. It’s interesting stuff.

Reds must consider trading for one Rockies outfielder | Clutch Points

I’ll just say this article is not focused on the Rockies outfielder you probably thought it focused on.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic mentions the Royals in his latest report. [$]

The Kansas City Royals are increasingly unlikely to land either of the two hitters they pursued in trades: the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and Boston Red Sox’s Jarren Duran.

Barring further moves, the Royals expect to rely heavily on offseason acquisitions Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas in their outfield, as well as rookie Jac Caglianone and holdover Kyle Isbel.

Though the Royals’ outfield production might remain below average, their infield of Vinnie Pasquantino, Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia should again be one of the most productive in baseball, particularly if India bounces back.

Craig Brown reacts to that report.

While the work General Manager JJ Picollo has done to upgrade his outfield has been more inspiring this offseason than last, it still feels as if the additions are falling a bit short of expectations, especially on a team with a better than average starting rotation and one of the elite superstars in the game on the roster in Bobby Witt Jr. People may not like to talk about windows of competitiveness, but when Witt is anchoring your ballclub and you’ve assembled a quality pitching staff on the back of fantastic coaching, that window is open and needs to be taken advantage of.

Last year, I gave Picollo the benefit of the doubt when given the explanation as to why the Royals weren’t able to find suitable outfield upgrades. The free agent class wasn’t the greatest and if there aren’t willing trade partners, then there’s not much he can do.

But to strike out two years in a row, if that is indeed what happens, isn’t a good look.

Preston Farr writes about how it all goes right for the Royals in 2026.

In May 2025, India was spiked on his knee by Willson Contreras. A month later, he suffered a shoulder injury making a diving play. Finally, in September, India landed on the injured list with a wrist injury. That shoulder injury is where we should focus the most, as it seemed to have a clear impact the remainder of India’s season. Take the below splits into account:

3/27/2025-6/12/2025: .252/.336/.340, 88.9 EV, 83.7% Contact%, 41.4% Swing%, 19.8% LD%

6/14/2025-9/30/2025: .219/.315/.355, 86.9 EV, 81.2% Contact%, 38.9% Swing%, 13.9% LD%

India was a completely different hitter after the shoulder injury. He didn’t miss any real time or land on the injured list, but it begs the question: was India hampered by the shoulder injury for much of 2025? The Royals are banking on a bounceback from India in 2026 and they’ll need it to find any value at second base. Perhaps playing fewer positions and getting back to the basics will help.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep looks at whether Michael Massey can improve in 2026.

Former Royals pitcher Jakob Junis signs with the Rangers on a one-year, $4 million deal.

Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is out 5-6 months with a finger injury.

Who are the best fits for Framber Valdez?

The Red Sox are looking to upgrade their catching situation.

Justin Verlander is drawing interest from multiple clubs.

Elly de la Cruz turned down the largest contract in Reds history.

What’s next for the Blue Jays after missing out on Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette?

The Reds are getting calls about their starting pitchers.

Michael Lorenzen is ready to be a problem solver at Coors Field.

The Cardinals say they have room to add a right-handed-hitting outfielder,

Former All-Star reliever Ryan Pressly retires.

The Padres are up for sale, and their future in San Diego may be in jeopardy.

Sporting KC will be sold to minority partner Peter Mallouk for $700 million.

The Big Ten and SEC are still deadlocked on College Football Playoff expansion.

Some are turning to letter-writing as an escape from the digital world.

What does “goodbye” actually mean?

Zootopia 2 is the highest-grossing animated film of all-time.

Your song of the day is Al Green with Free at Last.

It’s hard to believe that the Red Sox are about one quarter as many years removed from the 2004 World Series as the total length of the curse that was broken that year. A huge difference, of course, was the addition of three more trophies. With the announcement of Jon Lester being enshrined the the Red Sox and Cubs’ respective Halls of Fame and his pending addition to the Hall of Fame ballot that will come out later this year for the Class of 2027, let’s look back at the ‘06 and ‘16 teams before 2026 begins.

2006

The 2005 season ended tumultuously. The Red Sox backed into a tie with the ascendant New York Yankees and were quickly bumped from the postseason. The Chicago White Sox would win the World Series with the dominance of a team using trash cans and buzzers. Theo Epstein would flee Fenway Park in a gorilla suit for a short sabbatical.

While he was gone, the Red Sox would trade Hanley Ramirez an Anibal Sanchez for Josh Beckett. Big free agent signing Edgar Renteria would be traded for Atlanta Braves third base prospect Andy Marte. Peter Gammons would declare that the offseason would be remembered for Marte and not Beckett. So it was then a surprise when Marte would be shipped off to Cleveland for Coco Crisp.

Jonathan Papelbon, who made his major league debut in 2005, would miss out on a rotation spot in Spring Training but find a home in the bullpen. Given his career to follow, that sure worked out!

Johnny Damon would become a New York Yankee. But hopes were high. Fresh off 95 wins and adding a new center fielder and slick-fielding shortstop Álex González – plus the return of Theo Epstein – things felt good. And they looked good. For a while.

Boston headed into the All-Star Break with a .616 winning percentage and a 53-33 record. The 19-inning walkoff loss to the Chicago White Sox should have been a warning of things to come but who is really that superstitious about baseball?

Boston would suffer injuries to Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon its rapid succession. Jon Lester would make his debut and then also hit the IL with a sore back. He would later add a cancer diagnosis to his medical woes.

Then there was the five game sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees.

All-in-all it would be a 33-43 second half that would see Boston finish in 3rd place behind even the Toronto Blue Jays. The first time since 1997 that Boston did not finish second in the AL East, 86-76.

David Ortiz would hit a career-high 54 home runs, taking the Red Sox record from Jimmie Foxx who hit 50 homers for Boston back in 1938.

As a coda, Alex Cora would play in 96 games and hit .238/.312/.298

2016

If the 2006 Red Sox had some recent history to live up to, the 2016 club most certainly did not. After the 2011 collapse, 2012 dismantling (the Punto Trade), 2013 World Series out of nowhere, there were suddenly back-to-back last place seasons. Behind the Blue Jays, behind the Rays, and behind the Orioles. Ben Charington? More like Ben-barrassment.

Dave Dombrowski technically came in August of 2015 but that season was settled before his hiring. The offseason would be his first chance to really begin.

And begin he did.

Dealin’ Dave would trade for Craig Kimbrel and sign Chris Young (the centerfielder not the pitcher). Then he did what Dombrowski does: hand out a massive deal. Welcome to Boston, David Price!

In the draft that summer he’d acquire legendary Boston Red Sox Bobby Dalbec.

And Dave’s first year was a smashing success.

The Sox would once again go from worst to first and took over the AL East once more.

They’d go 49-38 (.563) in the first half and 44-31 (.587) in the second.

He’d add Aaron Hill, Brad Ziegler, and Drew Pomeranz before the trade deadline.

Mookie Betts would have a 9.8 bWAR season.

Xander Bogaerts would solidify shortstop while hitting .294/.356/.446 with 21 homers and 13 steals.

Jackie Bradley Jr. hit 26 home runs!

Big Papi would slash .315/.401/.620 on his retirement tour.

The magic would stop when they got to October, however. Cleveland, helmed by Terry Franconia, would sweep them out of the ALDS in three games.

2026

Craig Breslow and Alex Cora, teammates on that 2006 team, are still finishing the roster and lineup as January has more days behind it than ahead.

Ranger Suárez is, kinda, their David Price of 2016.

Roman Anthony is their Mookie Betts – for the story if not quite the on field production.

Can they top 2016 or will the season, like so many recently, sputter out like 2006?

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.

“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.

Ernie in the Hall, The Penguin comes to Chicago, Dexter Fowler* arrives, and other stories for the discerning reader. RIP Don Sutton.

Today in baseball history:

• 1934 – Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson’s appeal for reinstatement. (1,2)
• 1956 – In New Jersey, the city of Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring the achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Fields in Jersey City. (1,2)
• 1959 – The Players Association orders their International League members not to sign a pact unless it includes their pension plan. (2)
• 1972 – The New York Yankees acquire outfielder Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees will end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping pitcher Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17th. (2)
• 1977 – The BBWAA elects Ernie Banks to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In a 19-season career, Banks hit 512 home runs, had 11 All-Star selections, and won back-to-back National League MVP Awards, (1,2)
• 1983 – Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey is sent to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Vance Lovelace and Dan Cataline. Cey will play 518 games at third for the Cubs, the most since Ron Santo.
• 2013 – Two all-time greats pass away today, as long-time Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver dies at 82 and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Stan Musial is a victim of Alzheimer’s disease at 92 later in the day. Both were members of the Hall of Fame. (2)
• 2015 – The Astros trade OF Dexter Fowler* to the Cubs for 3B Luis Valbuena and P Dan Straily. The deal opens the way for top prospect Kris Bryant to start at third base for the Cubs. (2)
• 2016 – In settling a class action lawsuit filed by fans, Major League Baseball announces changes to its policy regarding the streaming of live games over the internet on MLB.TV. Fans will now be able to buy a package that covers their favorite team and that allows them to circumvent local blackouts, while the cost of the league-wide full package will be reduced by 15 percent. However, the settlement does not cover certain regional networks not owned by DirecTV, MLB’s principal broadcasting partner. The suit was filed because, while MLB.TV promised subscribers that they could watch all MLB games lives, local blackouts meant that in reality, fans who bought the package were often unable to follow the games of their local teams, a frustrating situation in markets where the local cable sports network is either not made available by every provider or is part of an expensive premium package. (2)
• 2021 – Hall of Famer Don Sutton, a 300-game winner, passes away at age 75. (2)

Cubs Birthdays:Ollie Hanson, Ken Frailing, Kevin Coffman, Anthony Young, Phil Nevin, Chris Stynes, Amaury Telemaco, Nick Burdi.

Today in History:

• 1363 – English King Edward III introduces his Sumptuary Laws, restricting what people ate and wore to preserve social status (largely ignored).
• 1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
• 1955 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first-ever televised presidential press conference.
• 1977 – Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snowfall has occurred. It also fell in the Bahamas.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• (6) — Wikipedia.
• (7) — The British Museum
• (8) — For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice weekend. It was another quiet weekend for the Orioles. MLB has had a busy past week overall, as the last big free agents are starting to find homes. Ranger Suárez going to the Red Sox is bad news for the Orioles, but the other signings have come outside the division. I appreciate that.

The Blue Jays were rumored to be going after both Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, but failed to land either. The Blue Jays reportedly offered Tucker ten years and $350 million before he opted to take a shorter contract with the Dodgers. And Bichette signed with the Mets after spending seven seasons with the Jays. It’ll be nice to have him out of the division.

The Yankees have been pretty quiet this offseason, but they have been trying to lock down Cody Bellinger for weeks. Unlike the Orioles, where we don’t hear anything about a deal until it’s done, I have been seeing regular updates. The latest update from today is that they are now willing to include opt-outs in a five-year contract. Bellinger returning to the Yankees feels inevitable, but it sure would be fun if it didn’t work out.

Just four of the MLB Trade Rumors top 25 free agents are still looking for homes: Bellinger, Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, and Eugeni Suárez. Of course, one name on there is more important to Orioles fans than the rest. It seems likely that Valdez will sign soon enough. I know, we’ve been talking about that non-stop for months.

Links

Thoughts on Verlander report and Orioles’ rotation – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko talks about the rumor that the Orioles are interested in Justin Verlander. He doesn’t seem convinced that it’s anything.

2026 ZiPS Projections: Baltimore Orioles – FanGraphs
In case you missed this from a few days ago. I’d like to see Jackson Holliday a bit higher, but overall, that infield looks pretty good to me. But Dan Szymborski’s assessment that they still need a dude in the rotation is right on.

Birthday and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies. Rick Krivda, who pitched in 45 games with the Orioles from 1995-1997, is 56 years old today. Chris Sabo is 64. He played 64 games with the Orioles in 1994 after six seasons with the Reds. And Fred Valentine (b. 1935, d. 2022) was with the Orioles in 1959, 1963, and 1968 for a total of 85 games.

On this day in 1995, with the players’ strike ongoing, Orioles owner Peter Angelos announced that his team would not use replacement players if the strike went into the regular season. The strike was ended just days before the scheduled start of the season, and the season began late.

In 2013, legendary manager Earl Weaver passed away at age 82. He died of a heart attack while on an Orioles cruise.

In 2017, the Orioles signed Mark Trumbo to a three-year contract. It was not a good idea.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets are set to play against each other opening day at Citi Field. They are going to be a part of a Primetime Opening Day doubleheader on March 26 on NBC and Peacock. This marks the network’s return to Major League Baseball, as the Mets will host the Pirates at 1 p.m. ET.

NBC’s 2026 MLB schedule is the result of a new broadcast deal. This is going to be the network’s first full season of baseball coverage in more than two decades. The night game will feature the two-time World Series defending champion Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks in Los Angeles. 

Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starter is anticipated to be reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. The ace is coming off of a 10-win season and a dominant 1.97 ERA.

It is less of an obvious pick for New York for who their starter should be. Top candidates include young arms like Nolan McLean, who showed a lot of potential in 2025, and the returning Christian Scott. Scott is coming off Tommy John surgery but is expected to be a top guy this season for their rotation. Other options are Framber Valdez and veterans Kodai Senga and  Sean Manaea.

Both teams missed out on the playoffs in the 2025 season. The Mets made a monster move bringing in Juan Soto in the offseason but that was not enough. 

While the Bucs went 71-91 this past season finishing in last place in the NL Central. With moves like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn the Pirates are improving their batting lineup going into the new season. 

With Jared Jones coming back from injury and already having Mitch Keller and Paul Skenes the Pirates are looking to have a deadly pitching rotation this season.  

This is an exciting matchup to have on Opening Day for a network like NBC who is getting back into broadcasting baseball. The Pirates are a team that has a lot of potential this season. If the top guys in the rotation can stay healthy and the offense can give them run support, we could see the Bucs make a playoff run, something they haven’t done since 2015.