The Colorado Rockies Offseason Recap
With one month to go before Spring Training, here’s everything the Rockies have done this Winter.
With just over a month before spring training, a lot has already happened this MLB offseason. From $765 million dollar contracts to teams breaking their own records of money spent, the Rockies haven’t been the most active club. They’ve made a few moves that hint at how they plan to manage the next few seasons.
The team's first major move came in two parts. First, deciding to let second baseman Brendan Rodgers enter free agency before the November 22nd deadline. Rodgers was a gold glove-winning utility piece who was in his final year of arbitration and was projected to get north of five million dollars for the 2025 season. The Rockies didn’t want the financial commitment, which ended Rodger’s six-year tenure with Colorado.
However, the Rockies wasted no time in replacing him when they signed another utility man, Kyle Farmer, on Nov. 23rd to a one-year, 2.5 million dollar deal. While currently listed on the depth chart as a second baseman, Farmer will undoubtedly see time throughout the infield. Last season he was a below-average bat, swinging a .214 average with a .293 on base percentage.
When the Winter Meetings started, the front office showed that second base was still on their mind. They signed Thairo Estrada to a one-year, 3.25 million deal with a mutual option for 2026. Estrada suffered from thumb and wrist injuries last year and batted .217 with a .590 OPS before being out righted to the Triple-A level by the Giants.
Estrada could end up being a steal for Colorado if he can come close to his 2023 form, when he had a .731 OPS. He also stole 23 bases that year, and Manager Bud Black has been vocal about wanting to be more aggressive on the base paths. However, Estrada’s true value comes from his defense. Since the beginning of the 2023 season, he has recorded the third-most outs above average at second base in the whole league, with 28.
Estrada and Farmer join Aaron Schunk as the currently rostered second basemen. Schunk made his debut at the end of June and showed a lot of promise throughout the season. Although his .234 AVG and .595 OPS don’t exactly jump off the page, he showed a lot of plate discipline and can be expected to show growth this upcoming season. He will likely split time with Estrada and Farmer until there’s a clear starter at the position.
The 40-man roster will fill up once Estrada is officially added. However, the Rockies did sign some players to minor league contracts who could see some time at Coors Field this season. The most notable being catcher Austin Nola. Nola’s only started more than 60 games a season twice in his five-year career, however, he is a career .249 hitter and could see time this season if there are injuries, or he excels at the Triple-A level.
Another interesting signing is pitcher Diego Castillo. A workhorse out of the bullpen from Tampa Bay and Seattle, going into the eighth year of his career. He posted a 3.12 ERA through 2018 and 2023, although he only pitched 8.2 innings for Seattle and 10 for Minnesota this past year. Whether it be a struggle with control or a drop in his fastball velocity, he will get the chance to earn a spot with the Rockies rotation this spring.
A lack of any long term contracts this winter shows that the Rockies are happy with how their roster is currently constructed. The team is in a state of waiting on their prospects to grow into major league material. They’re betting their future on the development of their prospects, at least for now.
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