The Rockies have a lot on their plate this offseason, but Ryan Feltner might be one of the trickier calls on the list.
He is still under team control, and Colorado can keep him around by tendering a contract for 2027. He also remains eligible for salary arbitration after earning $2.45 million in 2026.
On paper, that makes him an affordable piece. In reality, his spot is anything but secure after a season that left plenty to debate.
Feltner finished 7-10 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP over 123.1 innings. He made 26 appearances, 22 of them starts, and struck out 92 batters. Those are the kinds of numbers that force a team to weigh whether it wants to keep investing in a pitcher or move that money and roster spot elsewhere.
That question matters even more because Colorado’s pitching situation is already in rough shape. President of baseball operations Paul DePodesta has to rebuild one of the worst staffs in baseball, and starting pitching is clearly part of the problem. Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano are all at the end of their contracts, while Chase Dollander is working his way back from elbow surgery.
Feltner has shown enough at times to suggest there’s still something usable there. His best stretch came in 2024, when he made 30 starts and put up a 4.49 ERA across 162.1 innings.
Then injuries knocked him off track in 2025, limiting him to just six appearances. Colorado brought him back for $2.45 million in 2026 hoping he could find his way back into the rotation.
The problem is that Feltner will turn 30 during the 2027 season, so this is no longer a case of waiting on a young arm to figure things out. The decision is happening now.
There is also a wrinkle that could change how the Rockies view him. Late in the season, Feltner was shifted to the bullpen and used as a multi-inning reliever.
The results were hard to ignore. He threw five scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres on September 15, then gave up one run over three innings against the Seattle Mariners.
He followed that with 3.2 scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox.
All told, he worked 11.2 innings as a reliever and allowed just one run.
That sample is small, no question. But it was effective, and it gives Colorado another possible way to get value out of him. Feltner would probably rather start, but the bullpen role may be what keeps him in the mix.
DePodesta has a difficult decision ahead, and Feltner is a big part of it. His numbers point toward moving on.
Colorado’s lack of proven pitching points the other way. And that late-season relief run may have made the whole thing even harder to sort out.
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