How the Colorado Rockies Are Actually Building Their 2026 Roster

Where are the Colorado Rockies placing most of their focus?

Colorado Rockies cap / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies entered their offseason with the clear intention of bolstering their pitching staff. With this in mind, fans were expected to see more movement on the Rockies' end, with waves being made in free agency and the trade market. But compared to other ballclubs, Colorado was fairly mellow.

Although they weren't as active as many had hoped, they weren't completely mute, either. They knew that their starting rotation, in particular, needed to be a key point of emphasis. Pitching at Coors Field is a grueling challenge as it is, so having a reliable pitching staff is imperative for the franchise.

One Veteran, Three Acquisitions Lead the Pack

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

As the Rockies' ace, veteran southpaw Kyle Freeland is going to be heavily relied upon. Unfortunately, the injury bug already came over him after he started experiencing mid-back spasms. However, at the time of this writing, he's expected to return to throwing the week of Feb. 23.

This is not the way the franchise had hoped to kick off spring training, but now it's even more important for the remaining starters to continue fine-tuning their play ahead of their upcoming campaign.

Colorado's most notable acquisition during the offseason was right-hander Michael Lorenzen of the Kansas City Royals. During his latest season with the Royals, he recorded a 4.64 ERA and 127 strikeouts across 141.2 innings pitched through 27 games, 26 of which he started. Once January 2026 rolled around, he signed with the Rockies as a free agent.

Alongside Lorenzen, two other key starters were acquired—José Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano. Quintana came to Colorado from the Milwaukee Brewers and brings 14 years of Major League Baseball experience to Coors Field, which should be incredibly beneficial to the Rockies. He's been around the states playing for various ballclubs over the years, and he's expected to slide into a valuable role.

Sugano is equally impressive, but most of his experience took place in Japan. However, he played with the Baltimore Orioles in 2025, registering a 4.64 ERA and 106 strikeouts across 157.0 innings pitched through 30 starts.

Colorado had aimed to tackle their starting rotation, and while they've acquired reliable arms, only time will tell if they built up their roster enough.

This is going to be a sink-or-swim season for the Rockies. Much of their success, or their defeats, will be directly attributed to their starting rotation. Did Colorado prioritize this department enough?

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