Assessing the Futures of Kyle Freeland and Other Rockies' Pending UFAs

For yet another season, the Colorado Rockies are playing out the string of a 162-game slate destined to end without a playoff berth. And so, the focus turns to the off-season, the first full winter with the club's new brain trust of president Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes at the helm.

Depending on how DePodesta and Byrnes approach the off-season, the Rockies could have a decidedly different look once the spring rolls around. First off, MLB free agency will open five days after the conclusion of the World Series, at which point three Colorado pitchers are set to join the open market as unrestricted free agents.

There's no question that the Rockies, who currently own baseball's highest team ERA, need to address their pitching this winter. Whether any of Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana or Jordan Romano will be a part of that 2027 group remains to be seen.

Kyle Freeland

Freeland is set to make what could be his final start for Colorado tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks, fittingly pitching in his home park at Coors Field.

Freeland is as homegrown as they come, born and raised in Denver while throwing every pitch of his 10-year big league career for the Rockies. He sits first all-time in innings pitched for the franchise, second in strikeouts and third in wins. Of course, given the decade he's played in, he also ranks first all-time in career losses.

At 33 years of age, Freeland is what he is - a veteran lefty starter who will eat innings (although he will fall well short of the 170 innings required to trigger his vesting option for a $17 million 2027 contract) while sporting an inflated ERA. It's been a long eight years since he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting by going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA over 33 starts and over 200 innings pitched.

A reunion between Colorado and Freeland would carry some sentimental value, but any hope of progressing towards winning for the club likely can't include him in anything more than an end-of-rotation role. Plus, it may be time for the 2014 first-round pick to see what a fresh start elsewhere may bring.

Jose Quintana

While the Rockies deserve some credit for their savvy, under-the-radar signing of Quintana in free agency, the 15-year veteran's time in Colorado - his ninth MLB franchise - simply hasn't panned out.

Quintana was signed for just $6 million this season in hopes of being an affordable, reliable left-hander in the rotation. While other clubs were probably scared off by his age (37), his last two seasons with the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers each produced double digit win totals and sub-4.00 ERA's. But a left elbow sprain in May wiped out much of his season leading up to his recent return, resulting in a 2-3 record with a 5.40 ERA in just 10 starts.

Perhaps the Rockies will bring back the Colombia native after injuries limited his impact this season, but it's hard to have faith that an aging pitcher with more than 2,100 career innings under his belt can be trusted to have a full, healthy 2027 season.

Jordan Romano

Of Colorado's three pending free agents, it might be Romano who carries the best opportunity to return.

Romano was picked up on the waiver wire back in May after being released by the Los Angeles Angels thanks to a disastrous 10.13 ERA across 11 appearances. The 33-year old has been considerably better with the Rockies, pitching to a 3.42 ERA while racking up 24 strikeouts and 11 saves in 25 appearances.

For all of the holes that Colorado will be looking to address this off-season, closer might prove to be a relatively simple one if they can find common ground on a reasonable contract with Romano.

There is no shortage of forthcoming work for DePodesta and Byrnes, but they can be grateful that the vast majority of their key players remain under team control heading into 2027. These three pitchers may not make or break the off-season for the Rockies, but their futures are part of a much larger puzzle to be solved.

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