Let’s not sugar-coat the obvious: The Colorado Rockies are a disaster this year. They have one or two players that are worth discussing in any type of trade considerations. They have no pitching at all, and their farm system continues to churn out dust. In fact, the team is on track to lose the most games in a single season, only one year since the Chicago White Sox earned that dubious honor.
Only one option remains for this team, and that is to just start looking towards 2026 and finally begin to address long-standing issues with the organization. The problem is that the organization has too many problems to solve in one single season, perhaps two, or even three. It’s undoubtedly a low point, if not the lowest, in the organization’s 32-year history.
Where do they even start?
In 2018, the Rockies actually made the playoffs. In fact, they had a decent team that went 91-72, including a dramatic 2-1 victory against the Chicago Cubs in the National League tiebreaker. Third baseman Nolan Arenado was in the middle of a dominant run of high-performance, while shortstop Trevor Story followed up his impressive rookie campaign after a down year in 2017.
Pitching-wise, 25-year-old Kyle Freeland emerged as the team’s ace alongside right-hander Germán Márquez. There was promise. There was a sense that the team could be good for a long time. Even though the team got swept out of the Division Series by the Milwaukee Brewers, they needed a few more pieces to make a deep playoff run.
However, between then and now, the Rockies failed to make any investments to boost their team. Aside from Ryan McMahon, C.J. Cron and Ezequiel Tovar, the team appears to repeatedly run the same lineup back while waiting for their prospects to develop. In that seven year-stretch, only Nolan Jones‘ 2023 campaign netted Rookie of the Year votes.
Yes, the Rockies had some good prospects, including Brendan Rodgers in 2019 and Zac Veen for the last four years. The problem is, when they get to the big leagues, they don’t perform. These players perform really well in Double-A or Triple-A but collapse at the big-league level. Chase Dollander appears to be turning into another example, pitching to a 2.59 ERA in the minors in 2024 only for it to erupt to 6.26 in the major leagues.
This isn’t even mentioning the talent they gave away. The Rockies traded away Arenado in 2021 for a slew of prospects, including Austin Gomber and Elehuris Montero, who is no longer in MLB. In 2022, the team lost Trevor Story to the Boston Red Sox in free agency. Story signed with Boston on a six-year, $140 million contract. Jon Gray, arguably one of their more consistent pitchers until 2021, signed with the Texas Rangers that same year.
The Rockies are having issues producing talent but also can’t seem to retain talent. This is the best place to start.
The good news on this front is that the Rockies are beginning to lock down key players for long-term deals. McMahon signed a six-year deal with the team in 2022, while Tovar inked a seven-year deal in 2024. They even signed Freeland to a five-year deal in 2022, but he’s been far from good. There is a willingness to spend.
The bad news is that there is very little proven talent, at the moment, for the team to invest in. A large chunk of the team is young, while the veterans are closing in on free-agent eligibility. Given this team’s notorious habit of insanely–low payroll, it’s hard to envision them breaking the habit quickly.
There is no excuse for the low payroll, however. There only will be three players in arbitration at the end of the season. They have plentiful cap space to make some moves during the offseason.
The 2026 class is a good, but not great, one to start spending some money with and building the team of the future. There are some options for the team to move on if they desire.
On the batting side, 25-year-old Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami is expected to be posted to all 30 teams this offseason. A strong power profile, he can either fill the long-standing void at third base or move to first while taking advantage of Coors Field’s hitter-friendly ballpark.
Kyle Tucker is also poised to be on the market, while Bo Bichette could be another option if Toronto fails to retain him. Other names include first baseman Josh Naylor, right fielder Lane Thomas, and designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn.
Pitching is a little tricky given the aerodynamics of Coors Field. There will be good options, however, including San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease. Other big-names include Arizona Diamondbacks player Zac Gallen and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez. Just a simple look at the list should give them reason to consider bingeing.
The Rockies’ farm system appears to hover around that “OK” area, where there isn’t a lot of superstardom but also a solid floor. In 2025, MLB ranked the team as having the 18th-best system in the majors, in line with years past.
When looking at the farm system as of June 2025, there are some positives. The aforementioned Dollander is still young and has time to adjust to big-league pitching. But he might need more time at Triple-A to refine his control and location. The No. 27 overall prospect, Charlie Condon, is playing much better this year after spending some time at rookie ball. His walk-rate is up and his strikeouts are trending down. The raw power needs time to develop, however.
Other hitters, including outfielder Yanquiel Fernández and shortstop Ryan Ritter, are showing promise this year. They might be MLB-ready at some point, but the Rockies can’t rush them. Doing that will certainly destroy their development.
This goes for pitchers as well. Left-hander Sean Sullivan and right-hander Gabriel Hughes may be the next guys to fit into the bullpen or rotation. Allow them to get a consistent line of performance and confidence before throwing them into the fold. It will help in the long run.
The team has been in a perpetual rebuild since their last playoff appearance seven seasons ago. This will not be a magical fix for a team with issues on the field and in management. Front office personnel need to make the commitment and see it out.
The firing of Bud Black made no sense at the time and still doesn’t. The team needs to accept this is not a one-season timeline, nor a two-season timeline. Let the players play and give them a fair shot by building a team around them instead of replacing them at the first opportunity. This will take time, but it has to be done right.
Selling the team will not do any good, nor will ripping the front office do any better. There needs to be a serious discussion between ownership, the actual front office, and the players to figure out what to address and when. These four steps should serve as a guideline to figure out how to approach this sinking ship.
It’s really up to ownership now on whether they get the right guys in and help build a functioning team. But, if all else fails, maybe it might be time to look for someone who is willing to steer the team as a last-resort.
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