Starting pitching is generally a problem for the Colorado Rockies, but their woes were especially apparent in 2025. The Rockies’ rotation set a modern record for worst ERA of 6.65, with the second-fewest 776.1 innings of work in the league.
The Rockies’ rotation in 2026 will look very different.
Austin Gomber and Germán Márquez have both left, while Antonio Sonzatela expects to remain in the bullpen. The only players essentially guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation are Kyle Freeland and presumably Ryan Feltner. Freeland enters his age-33 season after posting a 4.98 ERA over 31 starts, while Feltner will look to stay healthy after back and shoulder problems kept him sidelined for all but six starts in the Major League and seven in the Minor League.
New president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and his manager Warren Schaffer – along with a yet-to-be-hired general manager, pitching coaches and pitching coordinators – still have a lot to do when it comes to solving the Rockies’ pitching problems.
In a recent media report, Patrick Saunders asked DePodesta for an idea of the Rockies’ rotation plans.
DePodesta gave a fairly comprehensive answer.
“I think the short answer is there’s not one answer, right? I think our eyes have to be open to all possible avenues. I say that to mean they could be free agents, they could be different types of free agents. [It] they can certainly be transactions. And it must also be part of the development of our own players. We have a lot of pitchers on our 40-man roster. I know some guys got experience last year. We added another starter to the 40-man roster this year, but other young players are coming through. So I think it might have to be a little bit of all of the above, but it’s clearly an area of focus for us as we start the offseason. But I don’t think there’s just one way to attack it. I think you’ll probably see the different paths to getting better, or at least we’re going to pursue them.”
What exactly are those paths that DePodesta and the Rockies could take?
The first option is to rely on young players coming up through the organization.
The Rockies debuted several rookies in 2025, almost all of whom struggled. Top prospect Chase Dollander led the rookie contingent in starts with 21, but posted an ugly 6.52 ERA on the season and an even worse 9.98 ERA at Coors Field. He also struggled with some injuries and was even optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque at one point.
Dollander is joined by fellow 2025 rookies Carson Palmquist, McCade Brown and Tanner Gordon as hopefuls. Palmquist started the season sharp in Triple-A, but struggled with contact when promoted. He was ultimately moved to the bullpen late in the season, but a return to the starting lineup isn’t out of the question. Brown skipped Triple-A and went straight to the Rockies from Double-A Hartford, and there was a lot to like in his limited action. However, he also suffered from hard contact. Brown gave up six home runs in seven starts and posted a 7.36 ERA over 25 2/3 innings.
Tanner Gordon has as good a chance as anyone to make the rotation in 2026 after showing great potential last season. While he certainly had some bad starts, he also had a stretch where he went at least five innings and gave up three or fewer earned runs in six of his final eight starts of the campaign.
On the development side, the Rockies have plenty of fascinating pitching prospects like Brody Brecht (No. 5 PuRP) and Griffin Herring (No. 15 PuRP). However, few players are close to big league ready.
Gabriel Hughes (No. 11 PuRP) had a strong season in Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. Now fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery, Hughes pitched 105 1/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA across the two levels. However, his primary focus was on the use and development of the field. Hughes was recently added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Behind Hughes, the next man up, is likely lefty Sean Sullivan. The No. 9 PuRP spent its season at Double-A Hartford, posting a 3.14 ERA over 18 starts.
Acquisitions from elsewhere
Beyond the development path, the Rockies can also explore more traditional team-building opportunities.
DePodesta already showed a willingness to trade from deep positions – such as the outfield – for pitching earlier this season by trading minor league outfielder Braiden Ward for left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino. There are also a plethora of starting pitchers with free agents hitting the market. However, it seems unlikely that the best of that group will sign for a rebuilding Colorado unless DePodesta and his GM break the bank to lure them here.
The Rockies should also have the opportunity to select a prospect from another team who is close to ready for the big leagues via the upcoming Rule 5 draft.
Expand international capabilities
There’s one more option the Rockies can look at when it comes to team building: they can look east.
The Rockies have rarely, if ever, devoted resources to scouting and signing out of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, choosing instead to focus on developing Latin American players. This could change with a new front office in the building and this year is a good year for that.
Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball have posted their two aces to be signed by MLB clubs. The 29-year-old Kona Takahashi has a career 3.39 ERA over 11 seasons in Japan and posted a 3.04 ERA in 24 starts this past season. With a mid-90s fastball and an excellent slider, he could immediately find a role in the middle-to-top rotation.
Tatsuya Imai is placed along with Takahashi. The 27-year-old righty is coming off a truly outstanding campaign with Saitama Seibu, posting a 1.92 ERA across 24 starts.
It is also worth mentioning that Imai has said he doesn’t necessarily want to join a team with other Japanese players and it is unlikely that it will be signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In reality, he has stated that he wants to eliminate the Dodgers’ Japanese superstars in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki.
There are only a few precious days – just 114 – until Opening Day 2026, and the Rockies have a lot of questions to answer when it comes to their rotation. If the Rockies and Paul DePodesta are serious about this rebuild, they will do something this organization historically hasn’t done: really explore every option when it comes to rotation building.
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