Tuesday, October 13

DENVER -- A year under new management showed the Rockies that building a pitching staff and putting together a roster at mile-high altitude is different. Well, they all knew that coming into 2026.

So what’s next?

Here are some questions that the Rockies will set about addressing in the first month-plus of the offseason:

How do they prepare a pitching staff for ‘27?

Colorado experimented with openers, multi-inning relievers with no closers, a traditional bullpen with a closer, piggybacked starters. The result, however, was a worst-in-the-Majors 6.28 starter ERA and a fourth-worst 4.80 ERA from the bullpen. All we know is whatever is next won’t be conventional.

“It may look very different throughout the course of the season, depending on what pitchers we have available to us,” president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said. “But going with five starters and eight relievers, and expecting the five starters to all go six innings every time out -- that's probably unrealistic here [at Coors Field], or at least less realistic here than it is in most other places.”

But how do the pitchers prepare? One unavoidable issue in 2026 was the pitching coaches were hired last December. All emphasized new ideas, such as adding pitches. But the pitchers were cramming in an offseason’s worth of work while prepping for the season during Spring Training. Then, roles were being tweaked all season.

This time, once the Rockies have personnel in place, they can prescribe offseason programs based on the strategies the club plans going into the ‘27 season.

“Every team knows that the best preparation comes from clarity in October, and we’ve done a lot of work to stay ahead of these guys’ offseason preparation,” Rockies director of pitching Matt Daniels said. “There’s a certain way you’re supposed to build up your workload tolerance for these lengthened out roles.”

How do the Rockies go about acquiring pitching?

Free-agent signings were mixed in ‘26. Tomoyuki Sugano was the team’s most effective pitcher, but he faltered in the second half. Jose Quintana was adjusting after a rough beginning, but he sustained a left elbow injury that cost him five months. Michael Lorenzen entered enthusiastically, but he struggled and was released in August. 

All are impending free agents, with Quintana (who plans to pitch for Licey in the Dominican Winter League) having the highest odds of a return.

The fact they all signed told DePodesta that the Rockies can find pitchers who are “running toward the challenge.” Now, can they upgrade beyond last year’s trio of 30-something-year-old veterans with reputations as strike-throwers?

DePodesta has repeatedly emphasized that free agency is one route, with others being trades for established players and under-the-radar acquisitions who fit models that the pitching coaches and analysts believe can succeed.

“Each year, the market will offer up probably different types of pitchers, and we just need to decide whether or not we think those will fit here in cores,” he said. 

Whom the club acquires will go a long way toward answering question No. 1.

Will the Rockies have to disrupt their improving offensive core to improve the pitching?

There has been no appetite for trading catcher Hunter Goodman (41 homers) or outfielder Jake McCarthy, who settled a leadoff hole. Colorado committed to the left-handed bat and leadership of outfielder Mickey Moniak. The hope is for a bounceback by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, whose contractual commitment through at least 2030 may make him untradeable. 

Third baseman Kyle Karros, first baseman/National League Rookie of the Year candidate TJ Rumfield and center fielder Cole Carrigg look to be future building blocks, and the Rockies have done careful development with first baseman/outfielder and No. 3 prospect Charlie Condon.

They all were part of an improved offense that must take another step.

But, remember, improving pitching is the main goal. Can the Rockies hang onto this core without talking themselves into inaction in the pitching market?

Are outfielders clear that defense must improve?

There is above-average athletic ability in Carrigg, McCarthy and late-season callup Zac Veen, while Moniak has passable range. But good Rockies teams have been airtight defensively. The current club isn’t. Carrigg and Veen had mishaps due to inexperience, and that truly hurts at Coors. There was sloppiness all around. Of the group, the best defensively was corner man Jordan Beck, who had an awful offensive season.

All of the outfielders were challenged during exit interviews with manager Warren Schaeffer, the coaches and the front office.

How about the ninth inning?

After the Rockies went 75-87 in 2016, then-general manager Jeff Bridich made the surprise move of a one-year contract for star closer Greg Holland -- whose 42 saves in ‘17 were a key reason the team made the postseason. The next year, Bridich signed Wade Davis, who had 41 saves for another postseason club in Colorado.

Again, the Rockies are not expected to do much. But do they sign a closer -- whether they re-sign Jordan Romano, a veteran who arrived in July and had strong sequences but also the expected Coors Field blowups, or find one through other means? DePodesta was non-committal.

“When you do have an established closer, it can help define you know other roles in the ‘pen and make others sort of more comfortable,” DePodesta said. “That being said, you don't always have it.

“I don't think you have to have it. There are good teams that have used lots of different guys that end up racking up saves. But I think if you have the right guy in the right situation, it can be helpful.”

Utility man Tyler Freeman, an early-season contributor before injuries limited his availability, led to him being removed from the 40-man roster and finishing the 2026 season with Triple-A Albuquerque, announced on his private Instagram account that he recently underwent back surgery.

He told MLB.com that recovery would be three months.

“I recently underwent Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALF) lower back spinal surgery,” Freeman's post read in part. “Last year was by far the toughest year I've faced playing the game I love. The pain I dealt with throughout the season went well beyond the field. It made everyday life difficult and preparing to play each day became a challenge of its own.”

Before the 2026 season, Freeman and the Rockies avoided arbitration with a one-year $1.525 million agreement. Limited to 79 Major League games, Freeman batted .247 with three home runs and 23 RBIs. In ‘25, after arriving in a late-Spring Training trade with the Guardians, Freeman batted .281 with two homers and 31 RBIs in 110 games.

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