Despite adding 15 wins, the Rockies ended the season 58‑104, the worst mark in the majors for the second straight year. Colorado has logged four consecutive seasons with triple‑digit losses and hasn’t flirted with .500 since a 91‑72 campaign in 2018, when left‑hander Kyle Freeland thrived at Coors Field and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting.
Freeland remains on the roster, yet he’s far from his 2018 form. He logged 202 1/3 innings with a 2.85 ERA that year, but the 33‑year‑old posted a 6.65 ERA over 135 1/3 frames this season. His struggles helped push the staff to a league‑worst 5.59 ERA, and the problem wasn’t limited to Coors; the road ERA was 5.35 versus 5.83 at home, still near the bottom of the league.
The offense was also anemic, tying for last in wRC+ at 91, while only six clubs scored more runs. It’s clear that pitching anchored the Rockies’ misery. President of baseball operations Paul DePodesta admitted the truth at Tuesday’s press conference, as reported by Kyle Newman of the Denver Post.
“Our starting pitching, after the trade deadline, ran around a 7.00 ERA,” DePodesta said. “Overall, our run differential was worse in the first two innings than it was from the third onward. Too many games slipped away early.”
The club made no starter moves at the Aug. 3 deadline, instead dealing relievers Antonio Senzatela, Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen. Freeland, Tomoyuki Sugano, Michael Lorenzen and Ryan Feltner each logged at least 22 starts, but ERAs spanned 5.37 (Sugano) to 7.08 (Lorenzen). In my view, the front office overpaid for mediocre arms, signing one‑year deals for Sugano ($5.1 M), Lorenzen ($8 M) and Jose Quintana ($6 M). Quintana contributed just 11 starts at a 5.44 ERA before a sprained elbow sidelined him for four months.
Freeland, Sugano and Quintana will hit free agency this offseason, leaving the rotation even thinner. The team also loses right‑hander Chase Dollander, who missed the latter half of the year after internal‑brace surgery. It’s a shame, since the 24‑year‑old posted a 3.89 ERA with a 98.6 mph fastball over 44 innings.
When 2027 begins, the Rockies won’t have Dollander, but Ryan Feltner, Tanner Gordon, Gabriel Hughes, Mason Adams, McCade Brown and Pierson Ohl could vie for spots. As last offseason showed, DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes will likely need to hunt for bargains to fill the void.
Looking ahead, DePodesta says the club wants “self‑selecting” pitchers willing to run toward the challenge. Will Colorado’s free‑agency targets embrace the mountain‑air grind and finally lift the staff out of the abyss?
If you want to take a glass‑half‑full approach with the long‑struggling Rockies, they won 15 more games in 2026 than they did last year.