Rockies Sign Veteran Infielder, Reliever to Minor League Deals

The Colorado Rockies made their first moves of the Paul DePodesta era, signing a veteran infielder and a journeyman reliever to minor league contracts.

Colorado Rockies logo on a player's jersey / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

It might not have been the big splash that Colorado Rockies fans were hoping for to usher in the Paul DePodesta era, but the club added a pair of veteran players on Monday to shore up their depth and create some competition ahead of Spring Training.

The Rockies agreed to terms with defensive-minded infielder Nicky Lopez and right-handed reliever John Brebbia on minor league deals. Both men represent low-risk additions for a club seeking depth, stability and more of an experienced presence on a roster that ranked among the league's youngest last season.

Nicky Lopez

Nicky Lopez, formerly of the Chicago Cubs. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Speaking of stability, Lopez hasn't had much of it of late. Already in 2025, he has signed seven different contracts to join five different organizations (Colorado, Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and three separate stints with the Chicago Cubs).

There is, however, an opportunity for the 30-year-old to stick around and find opportunities with the Rockies. Known primarily for his glove, Lopez could be a versatile asset for a team that finished dead-last in runs allowed (1,021), second-last in errors (110) and second-last in fielding percentage (.981).

Lopez can't fix all that ails Colorado, but he did post a league-best .987 fielding percentage in 2021, his last season as an everyday player at the major league level. That said, DePodesta, manager Warren Schaefer and the rest of the Rockies' braintrust likely view him less as an everyday player and more as a potential mentor to young infielders Ezequiel Tovar, Tyler Freeman and Kyle Karros.

John Brebbia

Former Detroit Tigers and current Colorado Rockies pitcher John Brebbia / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Much like the club, itself, Brebbia has plenty to prove ahead of the upcoming season. The 35-year-old will be looking to show that he still has something left in the tank after a disastrous 2025 season in which he posted a career-worst 7.71 ERA in 22 appearances across stints with the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves.

This was a far cry from the trusted, high-volume reliever that Brebbia was over the first three years of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals (3.14 ERA over 161 games). Although his Cardinals tenure preceded Tommy John surgery in 2020, he did come back to serve as an invaluable late-inning option for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 (6-2 with a 3.14 ERA over a league-high 76 appearances).

When it comes to the union of Brebbia and Colorado, there is some mutual urgency in play. Brebbia needs to prove that his career isn't done after a rough 2025, while the Rockies must improve a bullpen that ranked second-last in ERA (5.18) and gave up an MLB-high 99 home runs.

The signings of Lopez and Brebbia hardly signal any kind of shift in the NL West or a sign that the Rockies are on the rise, nor do they say much about what to expect from the DePodesta-led front office. However, Colorado has added a pair of useful, professional players who can offer experience and are motivated to make their mark.

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