Noah Spirek | February 11, 2026 | @NoahSpirek

Cover photo image: mlb.com

While you were sleeping, the Rockies continued their most active offseason in recent memory, signing free-agent starter Jose Quintana to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

Quintana, a 37-year-old left-hander, joins Colorado as another option for the starting rotation. He slides in as the senior leader of the group, surpassing 36-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, whom the Rockies signed Tuesday.

The veteran brings 14 years of experience in the majors, spending last season with Milwaukee, where he tallied 131.2 innings across 24 starts with a 3.96 ERA. Overall, the Colombia native has pitched for eight MLB franchises, appearing in 383 games (357 starts) with a 3.76 ERA.

In his career at Coors Field, Quintana is 3-2 in six starts with a 5.40 ERA, allowing 20 earned runs over 33.1 innings. He has struck out 33 and walked 13.

Quintana utilizes a five-pitch mix, leaning heavily on a sinker that averages 90.5 mph. He also features a changeup, curveball, four-seam fastball, and a slurve. It will be interesting to see how the Rockies deploy him, considering his pitch-to-contact profile. To succeed at Coors Field, limiting walks will be crucial. He is coming off a season where he posted a nine percent walk rate, ranking in the 32^nd percentile, according to Baseball Savant.  

With the addition of Quintana, the Rockies enter Spring Training with more starting pitching depth than they have had in recent seasons. After releasing veteran Germán Márquez, Colorado retained Kyle Freeland, Chase Dollander, Ryan Feltner, and Tanner Gordon. Since then, they have added Quintana and Sugano to an offseason group that also includes Michael Lorenzen and trade acquisition Pierson Ohl.

Could Colorado consider a six-man rotation? Perhaps. What is certain is that the club will face difficult decisions when setting its rotation for Opening Day on March 27.

Story by Noah Spirek.