For the Rockies, 2026 is about evaluation

As MLB’s hot stove continues to crackle merrily along, a recent recurring theme is this:

Look, I can’t speak to what the Boston Red Sox should be doing, but I do know that the Colorado Rockies have been busy — just not with signing free agents.

After bringing in president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes, the Rockies have spent their time filling coaching and front-office positions. (Read more here, here, here, here, here, and here.) In other words, DePodesta has been building his staff before turning his attention to the roster, which, frankly, makes sense.

Sure, the Rockies have made the kind of minor-league signings that are common to any MLB team — most recently Chad Stevens and Brett Sullivan — but they have yet to sign a free agent or make a significant trade.

And that’s okay.

DePodesta has commented that after getting his staff in place, he would begin working on the 2026 Rockies roster.

But he’s also given a clear sense of what the coming season will be about: evaluation.

For example, when announcing the coaching staff, DePodesta made this remark, according to Thomas Harding:

“You’ll notice a lot of these people have a wide range of experience in different areas. . . . But they have this foundation in evaluation, and whether that’s with amateur players or pro players or advance scouting work, that foundation is really important.”

Earlier this week in an article focused on a potential Brenton Doyle trade, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote:

Coming off 119 losses, the Rockies will consider just about anything. But according to team sources, club officials are spending much of their time discussing their own players, wanting to make sure they value them properly.

Here’s Byrnes during his introductory presser with media:

It’s taking an honest look at our roster, our minor-league talent base, constantly looking to improve it, how it fits together as a team, and maxing out the players. 

It appears, then, that there will be two main initiatives for 2026: The first involves building infrastructure, a process that is well underway.

The second is about player evaluation. DePodesta’s staff will be inventorying the Rockies’ roster and making decisions about the players who will stay and those who will be moved on. We don’t yet know what they will be looking for, but there will probably be an emphasis on skills/talent as well as willingness to take instruction.

In other words, before the Rockies are ready to start signing talent, they need a better sense of what they already have, what they need, and what the Rockies’ vision for the future is. Do I think they’ll sign a free agent or two? Yes. I still expect a first baseman (though that clearly won’t be Josh Bell, who’s headed for Minnesota).

But next year is about player evaluation. Last season, the Rockies promoted 13 players, an organizational record, and it’s safe to say that some of the promotions were born of necessity, not merit. I’m curious to see what happens with some of the promoted players, especially the pitching staff. Does Chase Dollander, for example, start the season with the Rockies, or does DePodesta have other plans for him? What will they do with Carson Palmquist? Adael Amador? Kyle Karros? Yanquiel Fernández? You get the idea.

Rosenthal’s reporting suggests, however, that the Rockies will not trade Brenton Doyle during the offseason. “Rival clubs are drawn to Doyle’s defense,” Rosenthal writes, “but if the Rockies moved him they would be selling low. Doyle’s OPS-plus went from 2 percent above league average in 2024 to 28 percent below in ‘25. He is entering his age 28 season, and under club control for four more years.”

Then there’s this:

The Rockies, given the volatility of relievers, might be more inclined to trade from their bullpen. They’ve bolstered their relief corps by trading for Brennan Bernardino and selecting RJ Petit from the Detroit Tigers with the first pick of the Rule 5 draft. Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen were among their relievers who drew interest at the trade deadline.

I look for modest moves prior to the start of the season. The real action, I think, will come when fans have a better sense of how DePodesta and his staff value the existing Rockies roster, and we probably won’t know that until the season starts.

For me, what the Rockies do on the free-agent market is considerably less interesting than their evaluation of the current roster and farm system. And more interesting than the 2026 Rockies‘ win-loss record will be what the roster looks like come October 1.

Season’s Greetings from the Rockies

In case you missed it, the Rockies dropped their holiday card earlier this week:

Closing thoughts

Things will probably slow down as we head into the holidays, but I would expect the lull to be a short one with the Rockies cranking things up after January 1.

Look, pitchers and catchers will be reporting before we know it.

As always, thanks for reading —

Renee

Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball.

Find me on Bluesky at @ReneeDechert.com or send an email to Renee@RockiesPitch.com