Rockies Land Predictable Offseason Grade After Quiet Winter in Free Agency

This grade and prediction for Colorado is not surprising.

Colorado Rockies hat / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Going into the offseason after hiring Paul DePodesta as the new president of baseball operations, expectations were not that high for the Colorado Rockies. Coming off a third straight 100-loss season, which saw the Rockies lose 119 last season, the signs are there that DePodesta is in no rush to make drastic changes quickly.

After removing the interim tag from manager Warren Schaeffer and hiring Josh Byrnes as his general manager, DePodesta went to work slowly, making changes.

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After the dust has nearly settled on the offseason and spring training is around the corner, it was a big one in terms of moves. Jim Bowden of The Athletic graded each team's offseason and, unsurprisingly, he gave the Rockies a C+. It could have been a worse grade except for one reason, according to the former general manager.

Rockies Receive C+ for One Reason This Offseason

Warren Schaeffer / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

First and foremost, it should not be surprising that this was a quiet offseason in Denver. The rebuild that DePodesta and Byrnes are tasked with is going to take time. It's not happening overnight. Realistically, it could be a couple of years in the making. However, Bowden believes the organization is in good hands in terms of rebuilding things.

"Hiring baseball veterans Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes saved their offseason grade. The pair bring an outside perspective to the puzzle of how to rebuild the Rockies to try to take advantage of playing half their games at Coors Field. It will be interesting to monitor their progress,'' wrote Bowden.

As far as offseason additions go, Colorado has brought in veteran right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen to slot in behind Kyle Freeland at the top of the rotation. Lorenzen is certainly a low-risk, high-reward signing. He signed for $9 million for one year and could be a trade deadline piece for DePodesta for a team looking for rotation depth.

As far as the other additions for Schaeffer's roster for 2026, Jake McCarthy comes over from the Arizona Diamondbacks for outfield depth, Willi Castro adds infield bench depth, along with Edouard Julien. Bowden predicted that Colorado would finish fifth in the National League West, which again is not surprising. Bowden also had an interesting question about the Rockies and the new-look front office.

"How long will it take the new front office to rebuild the club’s infrastructure and help the organization catch up in terms of analytics and technology?,'' Bowden asked.

Again, it is going to take time for DePodesta and Byrnes to change things with the Rockies. It's going to be baby steps and they have nowhere to go but up. They will get there; it's just going to take a lot of patience.

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