Paul DePodesta's First Rockies Offseason Could Be Considered a Success

Colorado's offseason might not be as bad as some think.

Paul DePodesta / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

It took until the first week in November for the Colorado Rockies to name a new president of baseball operations. Paul DePodesta was hired away from the Cleveland Browns in the NFL to return to MLB. He was hired a few days after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series.

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That put DePodesta and the Rockies behind the eight-ball when it comes to getting a head start on rebuilding everything after a 119-loss 2025 season. DePodesta hired Josh Byrnes as his general manager and removed the interim tag from manager Warren Schaeffer and named him his first official manager.

It took some time, but Colorado got to work on the roster for 2026, and while it seems like there were not many moves made, it has gone better than some think.

Rockies Offseason Is Surprisingly Not As Bad as It Looks

Michael Lorenzen / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

To nobody's surprise, there have not been any offseason moves that are going to turn things around quickly for the Rockies. This is not going to be a turnaround that happens rapidly; it will happen over time.

Still, according to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, Colorado's offseason doesn't rank as the worst in the league. It was ranked 24th out of 30 teams based on WAR projections.

"Convincing a proven veteran starting pitcher to sign is a major win for the Rockies, and Michael Lorenzen will slot in alongside Kyle Freeland and up-and-comer Chase Dollander at the top of the Rockies rotation. Versatile Willi Castro is not far removed from being an All-Star in 2024, but they still need to find a viable answer at first base,'' Reuter wrote.

There is no doubt that the biggest addition so far has been Lorenzen. He was brought in to solidify a rotation that has nowhere to go but up after a rough 2025 season. A veteran that the rotation desperately needs to pair with Freeland, Lorenzen is coming off an underperforming season with the Kansas City Royals. His one-year, $9 million contract, which he got from DePodesta, is a bargain move that can pay off at the deadline for a team looking to add a veteran pitcher if Lorenzen can turn things around in 2026.

Infielder Willi Castro is a sneaky-good addition for the Rockies, while outfielder Jake McCarthy and relief pitcher Brennan Bernardino, acquired from the Boston Red Sox, are players that can be flipped at the deadline for teams looking for depth. As bad as it might look right now, it has been a better offseason to date for a franchise looking for good news.

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