Another 100-loss season hasn’t chased Colorado Rockies fans away, but it has left the club staring at the same old problem: the pitching is still unfinished business.
There have been a few bright spots. Chase Dollander put together a short run of promise with a 3.89 ERA over three starts before elbow surgery cut his season short.
Brennan Bernardino, acquired in another offseason trade, has been one of the few steady arms, stringing together 19 straight scoreless appearances at Coors Field, a record-tying stretch. He’s also the only pitcher on the staff with more than seven innings pitched and an ERA under 3.00.
Beyond that, the picture gets murkier fast.
For the 2027 rotation, one of the biggest questions in the organization is simply who will be in it. That uncertainty hangs over a staff that still hasn’t found a reliable answer.
“Paul’s brilliant, and so is JB, and they both know baseball,” Schaeffer said of his bosses in the front office.. “What we’ve been doing just hasn’t been working. So we need to get creative and move forward.”
Colorado spent the offseason trying to change that narrative by bringing in three veteran starters - Tomoyuki Sugano, Jose Quintana and Michael Lorenzen - a move that was supposed to bring stability to a group the franchise has often struggled to supplement through free agency. Instead, their combined 6.01 ERA across 53 starts has done little to convince anyone that the needle has moved much.
The Lorenzen move, in particular, was made with a very specific vision in mind, and Schaeffer didn’t hide the reasoning behind it.
“We brought in Michael Lorenzen for all the right reasons, a veteran pitcher that’s strong, that can withstand a season, specifically at altitude with his body. He’s got six pitches that Paul was talking about for a long time,” Schaeffer said. “It just didn’t work out well.”
Now the uncertainty extends beyond this year. Kyle Freeland is set to become a free agent at season’s end, leaving next year’s rotation looking even more like a stack of question marks in an organization that’s been around for 33 years.
Still, Schaeffer pointed to a few names he believes could matter going forward.
“Mason Adams was unbelievable (Wednesday) night. He’s a huge part of the future.
(Tanner Gordon) has been good for us in spurts. Gabriel Hughes has a bright future, but I do think that these guys fully come into what they can become.
(Ryan) Feltner is another one.”
In Other News...
Rockies Give Three Veteran Starters One Last Chance To Matter
The Rockies head into their final series against the White Sox carrying a 57-102 record, but there is still a little something left to squeeze out of a long season. Even with the losses piled up, Colorado gets a chance to play spoiler, and the spotlight now shifts to the top of the rotation, where Tomoyuki Sugano, Jose Quintana and Kyle Freeland are lined up to start.
For a club looking ahead as much as it is trying to finish cleanly, those three outings carry added weight because all three pitchers are free agents and could be auditioning for their next turn in Denver. Warren Schaeffer said he has seen enough to evaluate both performance and health, and he made clear the rotation will look different next season, which makes this week feel like one last test for a veteran group that may not get many more chances to matter together. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Freeland's Rockies Future Suddenly Feels Painfully Uncertain
Kyle Freelands long run in Colorado is suddenly headed toward a crossroads, with his five-year deal nearing its end and his path to a player option complicated by injuries. The left-hander has spent his entire major league career with the Rockies, a stretch that has included some real success but also the weight of several difficult seasons as the club has piled up consecutive 100-loss finishes.
On a recent start at Coors Field, Freeland fought through a rough outing and was visibly emotional afterward, acknowledging the possibility that it could have been his final appearance in a Rockies uniform. For a pitcher who has been part of the organizations identity for years, the uncertainty around what comes next hangs over both his future and a franchise still trying to find firmer footing. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Enter Offseason With One Problem Still Defining Everything
The 2026 home finale was a brutal reminder of how much work still sits in front of the Rockies, with Tanner Gordon getting hit hard in a loss to the Diamondbacks and the rotation once again taking center stage for all the wrong reasons. Colorado has shown some improvement on offense, but the inability to get steady innings from the starting staff has continued to drag down a season that never found much traction.
That is why the offseason is already pointing toward pitching, with the Rockies expected to pursue starters aggressively as they try to reshape the roster. Manager Warren Schaeffer has kept some faith in the younger arms in the organization and has already adjusted pitching usage during the year, but the gap between hope and dependable production remains the defining issue heading into winter. [Read more 🡒]