The Rockies made a meaningful jump in 2026, but the number that mattered most still wasn’t pretty: 58 wins, 104 losses, and another finish at the bottom of the NL West. With a season-ticket price hike adding more heat around the organization, president Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes are under pressure to make sure this winter doesn’t become another march toward 100 losses.
That puts Colorado in a tricky spot. The front office has had about a year to evaluate the roster, and the club enters the offseason with just four guaranteed contracts worth under $50 million on the books for 2027. The shape of the team could look very different by the time Spring Training arrives.
The problem is that the Rockies aren’t exactly a dream destination. Years of losing have made free agency a hard sell, even if the team will still be active there. Players such as Tarik Skubal are not likely to be lining up for Coors Field, which leaves improvement through development and trades as the most realistic routes forward.
That’s where Mickey Moniak comes into the picture.
Hunter Goodman has surfaced in rumor chatter, but moving a 27-year-old All-Star catcher fresh off a 41-homer season would take a massive return. Moniak, by contrast, feels like the more plausible name if Colorado decides to shuffle pieces.
He’s 28, under contract for two more years at a little over $8 million annually, and the Rockies only extended him in August. Trading him so soon after that would be a sharp turn, but his second half may have changed the conversation.
Moniak gave Colorado plenty to like early. After a 24-homer 2025 season, he stayed productive in the first half this year, hitting 15 home runs and slashing .278/.326/.574. Then the production fell off hard after the break, when he managed only eight home runs and hit .195/.225/.379.
There’s also the defensive side of the ledger. Moniak is considered something of a liability out there, which could push him toward designated hitter usage and chip away at his value on the market. Even so, he still brings what teams want: power, age, and a reasonable contract for the next two seasons.
The other reason he makes sense is simple roster math. Colorado already has a crowded outfield picture, with Jake McCarthy, Troy Johnston, Cole Carigg, Tyler Freeman and Jordan Beck all in the mix for playing time.
Willi Castro can also handle the outfield when needed. That congestion helps explain why the Rockies were comfortable moving Brenton Doyle at the trade deadline.
And there’s more crowding on the way. Zac Veen, 24, also needs runway after showing promise in a brief call-up in August. Outside of Castro, the rest of that group is younger than Moniak or comes with more team control.
The Rockies aren’t in position to give away proven talent, but they may need to move from strength to weakness. Moniak could be the kind of surplus piece that helps Colorado by being dealt elsewhere.
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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 🡒]