The Colorado Rockies under new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta have achieved their first set of offseason milestones.
They survived awards season and saw Hunter Goodman win a National League Silver Slugger. They protected their picks from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster, and parted ways with a few familiar faces in the process. They even made a few minor league pickups. Most importantly, last Friday was the last major deadline before after the Winter Meetings and into January: the non-tender deadline.
DePodesta had to decide which remaining arbitration-eligible players could fit into his plans for the remainder of the offseason. The Rockies opted to offer contracts to all remaining eligible players, although the numbers have yet to be finalized. Below are salary projections for arbitration-eligible players.
LHP Brennan Bernardino, $1.1 million projected
Unsurprisingly, Paul DePodesta opted to tender a contract in his first trade acquisition as a baseball executive since the mid-2000s. The Rockies acquired left-handed pitcher Brennan Bernardino from the Boston Red Sox last week in exchange for minor league outfielder Braiden Ward. Bernardino, a 33-year-old reliever with three solid seasons of work for the Red Sox under his belt, represents the Rockies tapping their depth for a position of need on the big league roster. He throws a sinker and a curveball as his one-two punch as part of a five-pitch arsenal and excels at avoiding hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground.
Projected to make just $1.1 million in arbitration, the Rockies could use Bernardino as a reliable bullpen piece with the option to sell high at the trade deadline in 2026. However, they could also opt to keep him around if the price is fair, as he still has several years of team control.
RHP Jimmy Herget, $1.5 million projected
Right-handed reliever Jimmy Herget is probably the only player who has been offered a contract with a legitimate argument for asking for more money. Herget is coming off a truly outstanding career season, posting a 2.48 ERA over 83 1/3 innings and being the second most valuable player on the roster in wins above replacement. Retaining Herget was a no-brainer for a team in constant need of pitching.
Like Bernardnio, Herget will help the Rockies rebuild simply by being a reliable presence out of the bullpen. The Rockies declined to sell high at the 2025 deadline and could potentially do the same next season. However, Herget isn’t a free agent until 2028 and the Rockies could opt to keep him around if the price is right.
INF/OF Tyler Freeman, $1.8 million projected
Acquired last offseason in exchange for Nolan Jones, Tyler Freeman was a revelation at the plate with his ability to get on base and avoid strikeouts. However, his defense left a lot to be desired and dragged him to a raw -1.3 above replacement win.
Freeman is entering his age-27 season and the Rockies will certainly want to keep his patient bat, but there’s another reason they might have kept him. The Rockies have yet to find a real solution at second base, which happens to be Freeman’s natural position. If he can brush up on his defensive skills this winter, Freeman could be a viable option at second base for relatively little money.
RHP Ryan Feltner, $2.3 million projected
Ryan Feltner was likely safe due to the fact that the Rockies still need an established starter other than Kyle Freeland to be part of their rotation. With Germán Márquez and Austin Gomber gone, Antonio Senzatela moved to the bullpen, and many questions focused on Chase Dollander, McCade Brown and Carson Palmquist. A projected $2.3 million is a small price to pay for someone as occasionally brilliant as Feltner.
2025 would be a potential breakout season for Feltner. Unfortunately, he only pitched 30 1/3 innings before back spasms stalled him for much of the remainder of the season. Feltner will be a free agent in 2029 and may still have a lot to give to the Rockies if he can stay healthy and cement himself as a key part of the rotation. He could also earn an interesting return at the deadline if the Rockies choose to move on.
CF Brenton Doyle, $3.2 million expected
After a miserable first half, in which he once had just -2.0 Wins Above Replacement, Brenton Doyle found the foundation to finish the season with a positive WAR. The two-time Gold Glove winner looked much more like himself in the final months of the season. However, Doyle’s future with the organization is unknown as he enters his age-28 season.
The Rockies have prospects like Cole Carrigg waiting in the wings, but at the same time, a projected $3.2 million is a small price to pay if Doyle can return to his 2024 form. Doyle is the best defensive midfielder the Rockies have ever had without a double and he could certainly be a building block for the future. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if DePodesta opted to trade Doyle to acquire other organizational assets.
FROM Mickey Moniak, expected $4.2 million
Mickey Moniak is a difficult subject. The Rockies signed him for virtually nothing last season after he was let go by the Los Angeles Angels after spring training. Moniak went on to put together a career year at the plate, hitting .270/.306/.518 with 20 doubles, eight triples, 24 home runs and 68 RBIs. However, like Tyler Freeman, his defense left a lot to be desired and dragged him to negative wins above replacement.
The former first overall pick turned out to be a big league player, but his projected salary of $4.2 million in 2026 is a tough pill to swallow if there are no guarantees he can repeat his performance. It’s entirely possible that the front office is able to negotiate a lower salary for this season and if that’s the case, Moniak will look like a steal if he can continue his upward trajectory. He could also easily be moved into the outfield if the Rockies choose to part ways with any of their other outfielders.
Ultimately, DePodesta’s decision to offer contracts to these six players was a low-risk move, with an expected maximum financial commitment of only $14.1 million for a team with a relatively low payroll. It does not strengthen long-term resources and gives the new president of baseball operations more time to evaluate the resources at his disposal. The new head of the front office has already suggested that this could be possible dive into positions of depth to obtain a team needs such as starting pitching.
Podesta’s moves that will cement his identity as the head of Rockies baseball are likely yet to come, with the Winter Meetings quickly approaching and the next major roster deadline coming in January. He also still has to hire his general manager, find a manager and fill a host of other coaching and front-office functions. For now, at least, he has temporarily locked up players who have the potential to make significant contributions to the 2026 season, with minimal financial impact.
‘I can handle this’: Rockies prospect Wimmer undergoes brain surgery | MLB.com
Braylen Wimmer, recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, underwent a procedure called an awake craniotomy. The procedure involves the patient being awake and asking questions/having a conversation while the tumor is being removed. Wimmer endures more than anyone could normally ask of a young man his age, but his comments demonstrate incredible determination.
“Because I can handle this,” Wimmer said. “And maybe that’s my goal, so that one day I can help others through similar situations.”
Wimmer’s surgery is said to have gone well, although he still has a long way to go before he can tie his boots back up in the Rockies organization.
After the Rockies’ vote of confidence, Hughes has great chances | MLB.com
Rockies star pitcher Gabriel Hughes was recently added to the team’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. For a prospect like Hughes, that means he has gained confidence from the organization that an MLB debut could happen soon. Hughes, recently recovered from Tommy John surgery, spent much of his 2025 season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. He spent much of his season learning how to be patient, learning about his mentality and his pitching arsenal, and learning to be a pitcher and not a pitcher.
“It doesn’t change my mechanics, it doesn’t change my look,” he said. “The biggest change for me was the mentality around pitch use: understanding that some of my pitches will play better at higher altitudes than at low altitudes, and understanding how I can use that information to change the percentages I throw per pitch.”
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