The Rockies have kept things quiet this offseason, making a handful of minor moves while the rest of the NL West gets busy. Colorado released Michael Toglia and signed Drew Avans and reliever John Brebbia to minor league deals.
But that could change soon.
GM Josh Byrnes recently told MLB’s Thomas Harding that the team’s looking to add rotation depth, specifically targeting veterans who can eat innings and provide stability.
“We’ve played out scenarios where we would attempt to bring in two guys who can stabilize that area — who can not only pitch well but know how to give us some bulk innings, which any team needs. That’s probably how we’re trying to map it out.”
It’s not exactly what fans want to hear, but there’s logic behind chasing veteran arms. The Rockies are rebuilding in what might be baseball’s toughest division, and these guys come cheap. More importantly, they could become trade chips at the deadline when contenders start looking for rotation help.
Names still available include Patrick Corbin, Jose Quintana, Wade Miley, Martin Perez, Alex Cobb and Miles Mikolas. Not exactly household names, but that’s the point.
Right now, Kyle Freeland and Ryan Feltner seem locked into rotation spots. Beyond that, it’s wide open, especially if German Marquez signs elsewhere as a free agent.
The way I see it, Colorado’s playing the long game here. They’re not looking to compete in 2025, but they need bodies who can take the ball every fifth day and keep games from getting out of hand early. If one of these veterans pitches well enough to interest a contender by July, that’s when the real value shows up.
Don’t expect the Rockies to break the bank on anybody. They’re staying disciplined with their spending while trying to find pieces that make sense for where they are in their rebuild.
