The Rockies have nowhere to go but up, and they feel like they have the man to lead the turnaround in manager Warren Schaffer, who they re-signed. their full-time manager before Thanksgiving.
As exciting as they may be, the Rockies may have lifted the veil on their 2026 strategy with a few of their recent free agents. According to Kevin Henry of the Denver Gazettethe Rockies signed infielder Nicky Lopez and right-handed reliever John Brebbia to minor league deals with invitations to spring training.
Signing Nicky Lopez and John Brebbia shows the Rockies won’t move the needle in 2026
Both Lopez and Brebbia have a chance to make the team, with the Rockies having a vacancy at second base and the second-worst bullpen ERA (5.18) in 2025. Even if Lopez and Brenna make the team and somehow remain on the Rockies roster until the trade deadline, neither would give the Rockies the much-needed pitching prospect they need to take the step forward.
Lopez played in 18 games between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels and hit .042, while Brebbia played in 22 games between the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves and had an ERA of 7.71.
The Rockies need starting pitching to take the next step forward
The Rockies have an exciting young core, led by their All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman and Gold Glove shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. However, 2026 will be another building year for them, and with a potential strike looming after next season, this could set the Rockies further back than they wanted.
With the worst starting pitchers’ ERA in baseball (6.65), the Rockies need to acquire weapons who can pitch at Denver’s high altitude.
A staff led by left-hander Kyle Freedland, who has had a winning record just once his career (17-7 in 2018) and one sub-3.00 ERA (2.85, 2018), and Chase Dollander, who had a terrible rookie season – 2-12 with a 6.52 ERA – needs reinforcements.
The free agent market offers a wealth of mid-range weapons for the Rockies to sign, such as RHP’s Merrill Kelly, Zack Littell or even Zac Gallen. Of course, owner Richard Monfort should be willing to open his wallet and spend a little to speed up the rebuild.
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