The Rockies’ offseason shopping list starts on the mound, and the first item is hard to miss: a left-handed starter.
Colorado has right-handed arms in the rotation, but the roster still needs a quality southpaw to give the group a better balance. Kyle Freehand’s spot has to be addressed, and the front office will have to go after a pitcher who can help move the rotation forward. One arm won’t fix everything, but it would be a real step in the right direction.
That kind of move is easier said than done. Finding a top pitcher in free agency is never simple, and the Rockies may have to push harder than most teams to land a difference-maker. The source of the problem is clear: the rotation is missing pieces.
The club has had left-handers before, and some were useful pieces. Jorge De La Rose, Freeland, Mike Hampton, and Jeff Francis all turned in solid seasons in Colorado, but none reached Cy Young territory. The Rockies are still chasing that level of production.
If a premium lefty doesn’t happen, the alternative is still obvious: add someone through free agency or swing a trade to make the rotation better than it has been over the last two seasons. That part may require some persuasion, too. Some pitchers avoid places that are cold, and Colorado’s front office will need to sell them on joining the Rockies family.
Chase Dollander is viewed as the future of the rotation, but the Rockies can’t ask him to do all the heavy lifting. Landing Tarik Skubal would be a long shot. A lot of the pitchers on the market are older than 30, and Colorado needs to stay young.
That leaves a smaller pool of possible targets. If the Rockies go after a veteran under 35, names like Luis Severino or Casey Mize could make sense. Severino might be the better possibility depending on how his representatives and Rockies management communicate.
Robbie Ray is also set to reach free agency, but he’s 35 and no longer looks like the pitcher who won the Cy Young a couple of seasons ago. Even so, there’s a chance for a rebound at Coors Field, and he could wind up proving people wrong.
For the Rockies to have a successful 2027, they need a lot more than one move. Pitching matters across the staff, from the starters to the relievers, but the rotation needs one or two good arms to get started. This offseason is a major test for the front office, and the first move has to count.
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