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Former Rockies Reliever Signs Overseas Following Unconditional Release

The Colorado Rockies recently released one of their late-season acquisitions, and he has chosen to sign overseas with a former Japan Series champion.

Jeremy Trottier

Sep 5, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; A detail view of a Colorado Rockies hat on top of a glove in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field.
Sep 5, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; A detail view of a Colorado Rockies hat on top of a glove in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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The Colorado Rockies have a lot of work to do this winter to put themselves in a better position than their 2025 campaign, and with some promising hires in the front office, they now have the pieces in place to make those decisions.

First up will be finding out which players will be retained for next year, and who they would rather move on from to open up roster spots, and that has already started to some extent.

Earlier in the week, the Rockies decided to unconditionally release relief pitcher Roansy Contreras from the roster, allowing him to pursue new opportunities. After being claimed off waivers in early September, Contreras had a few opportunities to play before the season wrapped up. Ultimately, he was just vying to prove he deserved some playing time after some back-and-forth years previously.

After being released, he has decided on a team overseas to play for in 2026, and as a team with a previous championship to their name, he will get the opportunity to play for a team that has been building back towards that ever since.

Where Will Roansy Contreras Be Heading for the 2026 Season?

Colorado Rockies pitcher Roansy Contreras throws a pitch, wearing a white pinstripe jersey and a black hat.
Sep 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Roansy Contreras (59) pitches during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The new team that Contreras will be playing for in 2026 is the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the NPB, the 2013 Japan Series champions. This was made official in an announcement from the team, including a quote from Contreras, in which he discussed his choice to join the franchise:

"First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone at the Rakuten Eagles for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I will do my best to become a "campeon" (champion) together with all the fans who always support the Eagles. I am very excited about this new stage in my career and can't wait to join the team."

In his sparse playing time for Colorado, he ended up pitching 8.1 innings, giving up an 8.64 ERA and 1.200 WHIP, while accruing four strikeouts, one walk, eight earned runs and three home runs allowed. Back in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was an extremely promising relief arm, but since then, he has been rather streaky, predominantly with his home runs allowed, as those have been what have really deteriorated his ERA.

Now, he has the opportunity to go overseas and work on his game with a squad that has been successful before, and try to build up his value once again if he wishes to make an MLB return.

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Jeremy Trottier
JEREMY TROTTIER

Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.

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