Tyler Paddor | December 14th, 2025

It’s the furthest thing from a secret that the Rockies need rotation help. The Rockies 6.65 ERA among starting pitchers in 2025 was the worst mark of all-time, barely sneaking by the 1996 Detroit Tigers’ 6.64 starter ERA.

While Austin Gomber’s 7.49 ERA and German Marquez’s 6.70 ERA will likely be out of the mix (Marquez could possibly re-sign; more on that later) and Antonio Senzatela (7.42 ERA as a starter) likely heading to the bullpen, Kyle Freeland and his 4.98 ERA was the only pitcher on the team with more than 6 starts and a sub-6 ERA. Tanner Gordon flashed promise down the stretch with a 3.96 ERA across 7 starts between mid-August and mid-September, and Chase Dollander’s 3.46 road ERA are points of promise, but the full picture is still bleak.

As of now, Freeland is the only guy penned into the Opening Day rotation. Dollander should find himself there with a more intuitive fastball attack strategy, but the other 3 spots are entirely up for grabs. Gordon, Ryan Feltner, and a handful of young arms will likely get a chance to compete. While there are grains of promise embedded in this group, change is not just necessary but inevitable.

With only 90-95M projected for this year’s current payroll (projecting arbitration salaries that are TBD), the club has some financial flexibility given that their 2025 roster came with a cost of $127M. The Rockies are likely to cut payroll in an effort to better allocate resources to baseball operations under new President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta, but there is at least $15M of possible spending money on hand. So whether via free agency, trade, or other means, how can the Rockies steady the ship on the pitching side?

Route #1: Miami

First stop: Miami. The Marlins, working with a plethora of starting pitching depth, are open for shop according to sources, with Eury Perez the only name off the table in trade discussions. The Marlins offense has room to improve, especially in the outfield, and perhaps one of Colorado’s MLB outfielders could be part of a package.

Behind Perez and Sandy Alcantara (a trade candidate in his own right, but more geared towards a contender), the Marlins have Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, and Janson Junk at the big league level, plus elite prospects in Thomas White and Robby Snelling knocking on the door, not to mention Adam Mazur who was a highly regarded prospect prior to being traded to Miami in 2024. Any of the 5 MLB arms mentioned and Mazur are likely attainable for Colorado.

Cabrera is coming off the flashiest year as the club’s strikeout and starter ERA leader. He’s rumored to be a popular trade target and is one of Miami’s more logical pitchers to move, given the sell-high opportunity. The Rockies may be better suited pursuing Garrett, Weathers, or Meyer, or even Junk or Mazur, given a lesser price. 

	FB Velo	Stuff+	Pitching+	ERA	K%	BB%
Janson Junk	93.6	94	107	4.17	17.2	2.9
Ryan Weathers	96.9	103	107	3.99	22.3	7.2
Max Meyer	95.0	97	107	4.73	23.9	7.0
Adam Mazur	94.8	98	95	4.80	13.7	8.6
Braxton Garrett*	90.7	101	101	3.98	23.2	4.0

Janson Junk

Junk is highly underrated, coming off a year with a minuscule 2.9 BB%, which led MLB by an entire 1.2% among pitchers with 100 or more innings. Stuff quality is lacking here; Junk does not have a pitch that grades out above average by Stuff+. However, hitters could not impact Junk’s slider or sweeper with consistency, and his fastball location enabled him to get ahead in counts.

The elite strike-throwing and plus command could play at Coors Field; however, betting on a contact-oriented pitcher who is a middle-of-the-road groundball guy may not be wise. Plus, one of Junk’s standout characteristics is above average carry on his fastball, which will simply not play to the same effect in Colorado’s thinner air. If Junk is extremely affordable relative to his teammates, he could be an option.

Braxton Garrett

Garrett is a control specialist with a ridiculously low 4.8 BB% since 2022. Unfortunately, Garrett missed most of 2024 and all of 2025 recovering from elbow surgery. He should be fully healthy going into 2026, though his performance level is hard to predict.

When healthy, Garrett sits in the low 90s with his lively sinker, with the pitch’s effectiveness boosted by quality command. Garrett’s slider is a plus offering at its best, giving him a steady sinker-slider combo to go along with premier pitchability.

With Garrett’s health the only drawback, this would be a high-risk, high-reward trade for Colorado.

Ryan Weathers

Weathers is likely the best overall option coming off back to back seasons with a sub 4 ERA, though both were condensed due to injury. Weathers has seen his average fastball velocity spike from 93.9 in 2022 to 96.8 this past season and it has correlated with, at-times, dominant stuff. He also features a plus slider and above average changeup to make his arsenal one of the more tantalizing among MLB left-handed pitchers.

A lack of recent availability in recent years is a major drawback but if the Rockies think they can manage his workload, Weathers could be the best pitcher in Colorado’s rotation.

Max Meyer

Finally, the former 3rd overall pick, Meyer could be an intriguing development project for the Rockies’ new pitching leadership. Meyer has been hit hard at the MLB level due to spotty command of his power 4-seamer. The University of Minnesota product also lacks dynamic traits on his fastball aside from easy 94-97 mph velocity. While his slider is an effective pitch, it’s not a prototypical putaway offering, allowing at bats to drag on. Giving new director of pitching, Matt Daniels, a chance to work with a talented arm like Meyer could be an exciting early development for the Rockies.

Route #2: Queens

Staying in the NL East but moving north, the Mets have had a difficult start to the offseason, seeing superstars Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso both move on to other clubs. This leaves the Flushing Meadows ballclub in a pinch, needing to get creative to stay relevant in a tough division. With rumored interest in Brenton Doyle, the Mets may be seeking to upgrade their 23rd ranked outfield defense by OAA and push Tyrone Taylor into a 4th outfielder role.

Like the Marlins, the Mets are sitting on pitching riches with a rotation that will likely leave prized young arms Jonah Tong, Christian Scott, and Brandon Sproat out of the rotation, at least. Again, with the club somewhat desperate, they may also add a star pitcher like Tatsuya Imai or Michael King via free agency and push yet another current starter onto the fringes. If so, they’ll be extra-incentivized to move either one of their young arms or financially accommodate a free agent by moving Kodai Senga–optioned in 2025–or David Peterson, who lags in the stuff department but is coming off a strong 2025.

	FB Velo	Stuff+	Pitching+	ERA	K%	BB%
Kodai Senga	94.7	94	94	3.02	22.6	11.4
David Peterson	92.2	90	96	4.22	20.7	9.0

Could the Rockies look to experiment with Senga’s patented ghost-fork at altitude? Or perhaps bring back Colorado-native and Regis Jesuit product Peterson? Maybe even take a riskier swing on a prospect like Scott or Sproat (Tong is likely to be held onto or used in a bigger trade)? Either way, the Rockies and Mets line up well for a trade if the Mets reported interest in Brenton Doyle is legit.

Kodai Senga

Senga was surprisingly optioned in 2025 as his command bounced around. Still the former Nippon Professional Baseball League superstar posted a 3.02 ERA and had a 1.39 ERA on July 11th. At his best, Senga is one of the 30 best pitchers in baseball because of his double-plus forkball. The rest of his arsenal lags behind somewhat but there is still a 6-pitch arsenal to work with an throw off hitters.

Senga should be a priority for Colorado if he is in fact available because his forkball should be one of the more Coors-friendly secondary offerings in the sport. Aside from some inconsistency, Senga only having 2 years remaining under contract is a downside as the Rockies should look to acquire a pitcher who can contribute for the next 3+ seasons.

David Peterson

Like Senga, Peterson has reportedly been made available in trade talks. Unlike Senga, Peterson has been a steady presence for the Mets, amassing 5 fWAR across the last two seasons following a commitment to more strike-throwing. Peterson is a premier groundballer who gets over 7 feet of extension to the plate, making him a strong fit for Coors Field. Peterson’s sinker is a quality offering that limits hard contact and his slider is a capable out pitch. There’s also a solid changeup in his mix.

Peterson does come with some wrinkles, however. He’s only under team control through the 2026 season but as a Colorado native, could the Rockies extend the recently-30-year old southpaw to keep him in Denver through much of his remaining years?

Route #3: The Twin Cities

One final team flooded with pitching talent, the Twins could be an ideal trade partner with Colorado. Rockies new director of pitching Matt Daniels joins the organization from Minnesota and would have an inside scoop on multiple of their arms. One arm in particular looks easily available and the Rockies could also swing up a couple of rungs for a veteran in order to open up innings for Minnesota’s younger arms.

	FB Velo	Stuff+	Pitching+	ERA	K%	BB%
David Festa	94.1	91	101	5.40	23.1	8.3
Bailey Ober	90.2	94	97	5.10	19.2	5.0

David Festa

Festa is still just 25 but he’s already amassed 23 big league starts across 2 seasons and seems to be behind the ball when it comes to making Minnesota’s opening day rotation, despite decent results in his early-career showings. His 101 Pitching+, carried by a metrically strong fastball and solid command, indicates Festa is a roughly league average pitcher. For further reference, Kyle Freeland led Rockies starters with a 97 Pitching+. Standing somewhere between 6th and 8th on the Twins rotation depth chart, Festa could be an easy acquisition for the Rockies.

Bailey Ober

Otherwise, Ober, now 30 with 2 more years of team control, could be a more steady option with an elite 5.3% career walk rate and multiple high-end seasons under his belt. 2025 was less kind to Ober as his ERA jumped over 5 after three seasons sitting below a 4 ERA. Ober’s changeup is still a great pitch and his sweeper has flashed promise. Coming off a down year and with an arbitration salary projected to top $6 million, the Twins may be comfortable moving him for a modest return.

With at least 9 logical trade possibilities on the table, the Rockies are positioned to make a move on the trade front. While they must avoid trading from the top of their farm system, Colorado simply needs to get better fast under Paul DePodesta.

The Rest of the Field

Aside from those three pitching heavy rosters, the Royals are rumored to be shopping their pitchers for an MLB outfielder. Their current rotation doesn’t leave much room for trades however. Perhaps Kris Bubic is available but his price will be hard to justify, given the spotty career track record. 

The Pirates have also made it known they’re willing to trade non-Skenes starters in an attempt to retool their roster. Mitch Keller could make sense for Colorado as could Braxton Ashcraft if Pittsburgh doesn’t foresee him in their rotation long-term with an assortment of young arms and prospects in the mix.

If Colorado can’t get a trade across the finish line, they could still consider some middle tier free agents. Foster Griffin, Tyler Mahle, and Adrian Houser may be of intrigue and fit Colorado’s price point, though three arms with plenty of altitude experience could make sense too: Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, and German Marquez.

Gray has dealt with an extensive set of injuries but could give things one final shot with his original organization. Anderson is about to turn 36 (that has to make you feel old as a Rockies fan) but has remained a serviceable arm for a couple seasons following a breakout 2022. Finally, Marquez could return to the Rockies, two full years removed from Tommy John surgery and with the opportunity to reinvent his arsenal under a new staff.

However, as we all know, getting free agent starting pitchers to commit to playing at altitude is a tall task. The Rockies best avenue to upgrade the rotation lies on the trade market.