Colorado Rockies 2025-26 Offseason Wish List

Only a few weeks into the Paul DePodesta era of the Colorado Rockies, and a lot has already changed.

A lot more will need to change this winter as well if the franchise is going to avoid its fourth 100-loss season in a row.

Trading for a veteran left-handed reliever, adding three prospects to the 40-man roster and acquiring several minor league depth pieces has given DePodesta a few opportunities to flex his new role as president of baseball operations thus far.

His biggest decision — the one hanging over 20th and Blake following a 43-119 season — was whether or not to bring back interim manager Warren Schaeffer in a full-time capacity. Two weeks into the job, DePodesta hired his first manager. 

“The most important job a manager has (is) to be a great relationship manager, and I think Warren absolutely embodies that, not only from my interactions with him, but all the feedback I’ve gotten from players, from staff, from front office, other coaches, etc.,” DePodesta said of Schaeffer.

While some expected a managerial search in the same way the Rockies went about finding a new leader for their front office, Schaeffer was their only choice, sans formal interview.

“We could go out and talk to a lot of different people, but (Schaeffer) is exactly what we would be hoping to find,” DePodesta said during a conference call last week. “So the fact that it’s right here, that he does have organizational knowledge, that he already has the respect of everybody in the building, it just made it to me, ultimately, obvious that he was the right choice for us in this moment and going forward.”

With 10 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, AZ for Spring Training, a lot more questions need to be answered and a lot more prominent holes within the organization need to be filled. If Colorado has a modest wish list, this would be it.

Find a GM and Complete the Coaching Staff

With only a few days until the baseball world descends upon the Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf in Orlando for the 2025 Winter Meeting, Colorado still needs to determine the identities of their off-the-field personnel.

While Tuesday brought about the announcement of a new position in the front office with senior vice president and chief revenue & strategy officer Nicky Schmidt, the big news came on Wednesday.

Josh Byrnes was named general manager after spending the past 11 years as senior vice president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Before winning three World Series over the last six seasons, Byrnes served as the GM for the San Diego Padres (2011-14) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-2010), and an assistant GM with the Boston Red Sox (2003-05) and these Rockies (1999-2002).

“I’m incredibly excited to be able to bring Josh into our group,” said DePodesta. “Few executives in baseball share his combination of intellectual curiosity, breadth of experience, and on-field successes. We are extremely fortunate to add him, as he immediately strengthens our entire baseball operation.”

Then there’s rounding out the coaching staff, plus a potential to expand on one of the smaller coaching staffs in the league.

Gone are pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dustin Garneau, who accepted a position to join his former Rockies manager Walt Weiss as a catching coach in Atlanta. It remains to be seen if Clint Hurdle, Schaeffer’s bench coach, will serve in a more traditional role away from the big league club to reprise his position as special assistant to the GM.

There’s also the matter of filling the vacancies of several developmental coaches who were let go shortly after DePodesta’s hiring.

“We’re looking most of all to get leaders of men in there and to give our players what they need, which is direction and expertise in each individual field, so that we can get the most out of our players,” Schaeffer said.

Improve the Rotation in Every Possible Way

Let’s discuss the big league product and improving upon a 40-man roster that nearly set the Modern Era record for most losses in a season.

Addressing the worst starting rotation (6.65 ERA) in the history of the majors will surely be atop the to-do list for DePodesta.

A total of 12 pitchers made a start with Colorado in 2025. Of the nine that made at least seven starts, only Kyle Freeland (4.98 ERA) had an earned run average below 6.00. While the club received 48 starts from those in their age-24 season or younger, the combined 7.70 ERA did not spark a lot of confidence in the future of the rotation.

The last free agent starting pitcher Colorado signed to a big league deal was Kyle Kendrick, days before pitchers and catchers reported in 2015. The last free agent starter on a multi-year deal would put them back to the 2000-01 offseason when they signed Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle to record-breaking pacts.

That’s only part of the reason why the Rockies haven’t revisited that path.

But there should be no shortage of one-year options for their rotation. Considering starting stalwarts Freeland and Antonio Senzatela could both be free agents after 2026, DePodesta may want (and need) to include a second year.

Jose Quintana, Miles Mikolas, Adrian Houser and a pair of former Rockies who performed during their time in purple — Tyler Anderson and Jon Gray — could be in line for a two-year deal that doesn’t break the bank.

If it’s simply a grizzled vet on a one-year deal like Wade Miley, Martín Pérez, Andrew Heaney or Erick Fedde, there’s no shortage of those options as well.  

In the end, Colorado can settle for a handful of starters on minor league deals that could pitch their way during spring training onto the Opening Day roster. That can’t be anything that anyone is dreaming about, but it does remain a tried and true option for any team.

Add Power

The most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball history should produce a lot of runs for the hometown team. 

Colorado managed to finish as the 12th-highest scoring club at home last season. However, this outpouring of offensive support paled in comparison to the pitching staff’s 6.47 ERA at Coors Field. 

Hunter Goodman won the National League Silver Slugger Award at catcher after becoming the first Rockie to hit 30 homers in a season since 2019. Beyond that, it was another power outage for a club that used to regularly feature multiple players with 25-homer pop throughout the middle of their lineup.

There’s hope that the 2024 versions of Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar could return, getting them back to 23 and 26 home runs, respectively. Jordan Beck appears to have that kind of potential and Mickey Moniak could reasonably repeat his 24-homer outburst from a year ago. 

However, that’s still not enough thump from a team that once featured The Blake Street Bombers, a quintet of sluggers that struck fear in the heart of opposing pitchers everywhere, even beyond the confines of their titular ballpark.

First base is the most logical place on the diamond for Colorado to target. Luis Arraez, Nathaniel Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Josh Bell are all reasonable choices to bring some stability to a position once manned by Andrés Galarraga and Todd Helton. Even if Colorado got the same production of a Justin Morneau or C.J. Cron, they’d be more than pleased.

Fulfill a Need For Speed

Schaeffer addressed the lack of team speed during his introductory press conference last week. “We need to get way better in our base running,” Schaeffer said. “We’re going to spend way more time on that (in spring training).” 

Under manager Bud Black, the Rockies removed the stolen base from their arsenal. From the start of his tenure in 2017 through the end of the 2025 season, only the San Francisco Giants stole fewer bases in the NL. Colorado’s 72.2% stolen base percentage ranked second-worst in all of MLB during that time. 

With only shortstop Ezequiel Tovar a lock for the Opening Day roster in the infield, DePodesta might make like his predecessor and prioritize a utility infielder as GM Bill Schmidt did with Kyle Farmer. Were they to sign Jorge Mateo, who stole 95 bases the past two seasons in a somewhat limited role, they could check off two boxes at once. 

There’s Got To Be More, Right?

Outside of Goodman, Freeland and the 24-year-old Tovar, everyone else on the roster is set for a prove-it type season. It’s anyone’s guess where Colorado will actually aim to improve.

The farm system, which has been widely criticized for years and has failed to live up to the organization’s hype, needs retooling. The club already parted ways this offseason with first-round picks Ryan Rolison (22nd overall in 2018) and Michael Toglia (23rd overall in 2019) after two others — Brendan Rodgers (3rd overall in 2015) and Riley Pint (4th overall in 2016) — said goodbye a year ago. 

With several young relievers making notable contributions, Colorado might be able to deal from their modest depth and improve upon the talent in their minor league ranks. 

DePodesta, well-known for his contribution to the Oakland Athletics and Moneyball, could make arguably his biggest acquisition this offseason without signing a single player. Were he to have the inclination to establish a new era for a franchise with one of the worst analytics department reputations in the game, perhaps the future of the Rockies would look brighter than it has in quite some time.