The Colorado Rockies are heading into another winter with plenty to sort out, and the pitching staff sits right at the center of it. With president Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes preparing for their first full offseason in charge, three impending free agents stand out: Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana and Jordan Romano.
Colorado’s biggest issue is obvious. The club owns baseball’s highest team ERA, so the front office will have to attack the rotation and bullpen in a meaningful way. Once free agency opens five days after the World Series, the Rockies can start figuring out whether any of those three pitchers fit into what comes next in 2027.
Freeland may be the toughest call, if only because of how deeply tied he is to the franchise. The Denver native has spent all 10 seasons of his big league career in purple and black, and he could make what might be his final start for Colorado tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. He’s first in Rockies history in innings pitched, second in strikeouts and third in wins - and, by virtue of the era he’s pitched in, first in losses too.
At 33, Freeland has settled into a familiar profile: a veteran lefty who can soak up innings but also runs into trouble keeping runs off the board. He won’t get close to the 170 innings needed to activate his vesting option for a $17 million 2027 deal, and the peak version of Freeland - the one who went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA over 33 starts and more than 200 innings to finish fourth in NL Cy Young voting - is now eight years in the rearview mirror.
A return would bring sentimental value, but Colorado’s push toward winning probably can’t afford to pencil him in as more than a back-end starter. And with Freeland being the 2014 first-round pick, a fresh start somewhere else may be the cleanest outcome for both sides.
Quintana’s case is different, but the ending may still be uncertain. The Rockies got a bargain when they signed the 15-year veteran for $6 million, hoping he’d be a steady, affordable left-hander in the rotation. His recent track record with the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers made that bet look sensible: double-digit wins and sub-4.00 ERAs in each of the previous two seasons.
That plan was interrupted by a left elbow sprain in May, which knocked out much of his season before a recent return. In 10 starts, the Colombia native has gone 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA. Colorado could still try to bring him back, but it’s fair to wonder whether a pitcher with more than 2,100 career innings can be counted on for a healthy 2027 season.
Romano may offer the clearest path back. Colorado claimed him off waivers in May after the Los Angeles Angels cut him loose following a brutal 10.13 ERA in 11 appearances. Since arriving in Denver, the 33-year-old has steadied things considerably, posting a 3.42 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 11 saves across 25 appearances.
That kind of production gives the Rockies a possible answer at closer, a role that could be one of the easier holes to fill if they can work out a reasonable contract. And while DePodesta and Byrnes have plenty of work ahead, they can at least take comfort in knowing most of the roster is already under control heading into 2027. Freeland, Quintana and Romano may not define the offseason, but they’re part of the bigger picture Colorado has to solve.
In Other News...
Rockies Now Have Another Rotation Tension To Sort Out This Offseason
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Rockies Face An Emotional Coors Farewell With Rotation Jobs On The Line
The Rockies are closing out a season that has shown some improvement from 2025, even if the bigger picture still leaves them well out of playoff contention. Now the final homestand carries a little more weight than usual, with Kyle Freeland expected to take the mound in what could be his last start at Coors Field as the longest-tenured player on the roster and a pending free agent.
There is still evaluation to do beyond the emotion of Freelands possible farewell. Mason Adams and Tanner Gordon are lined up to start games in the final series, and both are trying to make a stronger case for themselves heading into next season, when every rotation spot and roster decision figures to be under a close watch. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Freeland Faces A Painful Rockies Possibility At Coors Field
Kyle Freeland is set to take the ball at Coors Field against the Diamondbacks with a familiar kind of pressure hanging over the outing. The left-hander is in the final season of his five-year contract, and his year has been shaped as much by health and inconsistency as by the usual demands of pitching in Denver. He is also coming back from a neck injury suffered in August, another reminder that nothing about this stretch has been easy.
The broader issue for the Rockies is even harder to ignore: they have to decide whether Freeland fits into next seasons plans. His 4-10 record and 6.38 ERA reflect how rough the year has been, and his $17 million player option will not vest because he has not reached the required workload. What happens next is the sort of call that can define an offseason for a club trying to sort out both its rotation and its direction. [Read more 🡒]