Rockies Free Agent Signing Listed As Potential Bust Candidate for 2026

One Colorado Rockies free agent signing this offseason could be boom or bust, according to one MLB writer.

Colorado Rockies hats / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

When Paul DePodesta was hired as the next president of baseball operations with the Colorado Rockies, you knew that he wasn't going to be in a rush to make big decisions. He added to his staff and filled out his on-field staff for manager Warren Schaeffer before addressing the roster.

It took some time and the Rockies were the next to last team to sign a free agent. The only other team that waited longer to sign its first free agent was the Boston Red Sox. Colorado and Boston did swing a November trade, but they both took their time dipping into the free agent market.

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As the dust settled on his first full offseason in charge of Colorado, DePodesta signed a handful of free agents and made some trades for some veterans. As the Rockies' first spring training under DePodesta gets underway, one free agent signing was tabbed as a potential bust in 2026.

Rockies Free Agent Pitcher Tabbed As Potential Bust in 2026

Tomoyuki Sugano / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

One of the pitchers Colorado signed was former Baltimore Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. The 36-year-old spent one season with the Orioles and signed with the Rockies for one year and $5.1 million. DePodesta also signed Michael Lorenzen to a one-year deal, but for $8 million. As for Sugano, his tenure in Baltimore began well before things fell apart in the second half of the season. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed Sugano as a potential bust for this upcoming season.

"Tomoyuki Sugano landed with the Rockies on a one-year, $5.1 million deal. You're left to wonder if that was Sugano's only Major League offer after he pitched for the Baltimore Orioles as a 35-year-old rookie a season ago,'' wrote Kelly.

Rymer does have a point about just how many offers he may or may not have had in free agency. He finished 10-10 in 30 starts last year with a 4.64 ERA and just a 1.2 WAR in 157 innings. Sugano struck out 106 and walked 36, but his ERA in September ballooned to 6.61 in just 16.1 innings pitched.

As far as Sugano being a bust for the Rockies, it really won't make a difference one way or another if he is. He is a one-year filler for an organization that is resetting and trying to find out what the future holds with some of their younger players. Anything Schaeffer can get from Sugano would be beneficial in 2026.