Rockies’ Top 5 Highest-Paid Starters Ended in Mostly Disaster

Looking back over history, the top five starting pitcher contracts didn't produce the desired results for the Rockies.

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The Colorado Rockies have hopefully entered a new era. After three seasons of 100-plus losses, it was certainly time to make some changes.

Year after year the Rockies have had on-field struggles, player-development setbacks and front-office issues. Now is the time to chart a new course for the Denver-based team.

Paul DePodesta is the new President of Baseball Operations, and with him hopefully comes a philosophical shift for a team that has fallen behind in nearly every category.

One of the biggest challenges for Colorado has been building a competitive pitching staff in the unforgiving atmosphere called Coors Field. The combination of high altitude, massive outfield gaps, and a historic lack of analytics infrastructure have totaled a disaster for team pitching.

As the team is entering a new era, it is worth visiting history to evaluate their biggest investments in starting pitchers. Some of their decisions paid off and others, well didn't. In total, the list reveals just how difficult starting pitching is in the Mile High City.

Top 5 Highest Paid Starting Pitchers in Colorado Rockies History

This list is compiled based on guaranteed contracts with the team.

1. Mike Hampton - 8 Years, $121 Million (2001-2008)

To date, this remains the largest contract ever given to a pitcher by the Rockies. At 28 years old, when he signed with Colorado, Hampton's contract stunned the baseball world. The team had high hopes for the ground-ball style that Hampton offered and put a lot of faith in his ability to convert, even at high altitude. Unfortunately, he never produced.

In 2001 through 2002, Hampton had a record of 21-28 with a 5.75 ERA over the two seasons. With just a short review, Colorado decided to trade him.

2. Denny Neagle - 5 Years, $51 Million (2001-2005)

Denny Neagle / VJ Lovero-Imagn Images

Neagle was signed the same year as Hampton, which really adds insult to injury to the list of the highest-paid starting pitchers. Neagle was given a huge contract for the time and ended up being a complete disaster. He struggled with home-run issues and injuries, along with off-field drama.

Neagle had a record of 19-23 with the Rockies and an ERA of 5.57 during three seasons with the team. He was injured for most of 2003, starting only seven games. His last major league game was on July 20, 2003.

The duo of Hampton and Neagle became an example of the structural challenges of signing high-dollar free-agents in Denver.

3. Kyle Freeland - 5 Years, $64.5 Million (2022-2026)

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Freeland is a Colorado native who actually grew up in Denver. Unlike the deals above, Freeland's was based on development rather than free-agency desperation.

Freeland signed this extension at age 28, proving that he loves his city. In 2018 he was an All-Star and also finished second in the NIL Cy Young voting. In that stand-out season he had a 2.85 ERA and led the league in home runs allowed.

Unfortunately, the lefty has also battled injuries. In 2024 he had to overcome an elbow strain followed by back stiffness in 2025. This past year proved to be his worst over his career with a record of 5-17.

4. German Marquez - 5 Years, $43 Million (2019-2023)

German Marquez / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Marquez represents one of the franchise's most successful homegrown starters. He was an All-Star in 2018 and, within that year, set several team records that still remain in place today. He has the most strikeouts in one year, at 230.

Overall, Marquez has been one of the most consistent performers in a tough environment. His contract is viewed as one of the Rockies' best pitching extensions.

Given his performances, Colorado opted to extend him again with a 2 year $20 million contract for 2024-2025.

5. Jorge De La Rosa - 3 Years, $42 Million (2011-2013)

Jorge De La Rosa / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

De La Rosa is likely the most successful story of all of the top five in this list. He is certainly a fan favorite in Denver. He was one of the most durable starters in Rockies history.

He holds the most wins in franchise history by a starter with 86, but he also claims the record for the most wild pitches with 70.

Within his success story, one can easily point to the fact that he has a rock-solid ERA relative to Coors Field norms. In his nine seasons with Colorado, De La Rosa holds an 86-61 record with a 4.35 ERA all over 200 starts with the team.

Will the Past Help Develop the Future?

It has been very difficult in the past for the Rockies to construct a stable rotation, and certainly something dePodesta needs to focus on. In the past, when Colorado spent heavily on outside arms, the results could be labeled disastrous.

As the Rockies pivot to a more data-driven model (or at least fans can hope), the lessons from the past should become more relevant. If dePodesta can crack the Coors Field code, the team may have a chance at becoming more competitive again, hopefully sooner than later.

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