After four straight 100-loss seasons, the Colorado Rockies might not look like a club ready to push chips in this offseason. But the numbers from 2026 point to a team that has at least earned a more aggressive approach.
The clearest reason is the offense. Colorado won 15 more games than in 2025, when it had come painfully close to the worst record in MLB history, and the biggest difference was that the bats finally gave the team something real to build around.
Hunter Goodman led the charge with 41 home runs, and Mickey Moniak continued to be a steady source of production. It wasn’t just a two-man show anymore.
The lineup got deeper from there. TJ Rumfield turned in a strong season in the middle of the conversation for NL Rookie of the Year, hitting .300 with a .390 on-base percentage.
Cole Carrigg didn’t arrive until June, but once he did, he made his presence felt with 12 home runs, 53 RBI and an .818 OPS in 93 games after his call-up. Jake McCarthy also delivered a breakout year in the outfield, posting 15 home runs, 83 RBI and 32 stolen bases.
There’s more help on the way, too. Charlie Condon looks like he could debut in 2027, maybe even on Opening Day, after putting up a .900+ OPS in Triple-A with 27 home runs and 98 RBI.
The bullpen wasn’t spotless, but it did show some encouraging signs late. Juan Mejia and Jimmy Herget were both much better over their final 15 games than their ERAs suggest, and Brennan Bernardino put together a terrific season with a 2.81 ERA. That gives president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta at least some reason to focus his attention where the biggest problem remains.
That problem is the rotation. Colorado’s starting pitching posted a 7.00 ERA after the trade deadline, and that kind of production simply doesn’t work, no matter how lively the lineup becomes.
The Rockies have real offensive pieces now, and the field looks more settled than it has in a while. But if the front office wants this thing to keep moving forward, the next move has to be on the mound.
In Other News...
Rockies Face One Offseason Problem That Could Define New Leadership
The Rockies spent much of a difficult 2026 season searching for answers on the mound, and the search is carrying straight into the winter. With Paul DePodesta now in the president of baseball operations chair and Matt Daniels overseeing pitching, the club is looking hard at how to build a staff that can survive Coors Field without forcing the rest of the roster to absorb the fallout. There has already been talk around the organization about unconventional pitching ideas and a more aggressive offseason, the kind of planning that starts with the staff and quickly becomes a broader roster conversation.
That matters because Colorado does not want to chase arms at the expense of the offense it has finally started to stabilize. The front office is trying to add pitching help through multiple avenues while preserving the young core on the position-player side, a balancing act that could shape the entire winter. The Rockies know the margin for error is thin, and the way they answer this problem may say as much about the new leadership group as any single move they make. [Read more 🡒]
Jake McCarthy Is Making A Strong Case To Be Part Of Colorado's Core
After another season buried beyond 100 losses, the Rockies are still searching for more than just short-term fixes as they try to build toward meaningful improvement by 2027. Jake McCarthy has quickly become one of the more encouraging pieces in that conversation since arriving from Arizona, giving Colorado a steady, productive outfield option at a time when the roster badly needs players it can envision around for the next few seasons.
McCarthys fit is about more than a good year at the plate. He has already made a case as a core part of the next Rockies team, and the front office now has a decision to make about how aggressive it wants to be in keeping him locked in before the arbitration process gets in the way. A modest extension would give Colorado some cost certainty and buy an extra year of continuity, which is the kind of move that can matter for a club still trying to turn promising pieces into an actual foundation. [Read more 🡒]