Should Rockies Try To Keep Any of Their Free Agents or Look Elsewhere?

The Colorado Rockies have a trio of players who just hit free agency, but they might not be worth keeping on the roster for 2026.

Jul 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez (48) on the mound in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The offseason started earlier than the Colorado Rockies would have liked as they missed the playoffs with the worst record in baseball.

One of the only positives to come from this season is how they somehow managed to avoid the worst record in MLB history led by their catcher Hunter Goodman who just won his first Silver Slugger Award.

It is fairly easy to look at the negatives, but that is now in the past and if the team does not want to find themselves in a similar situation in 2026 there are plenty of issues to address over the next few months with new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.

Free agency officially started once the World Series was over and while plenty of organizations have key players who they are trying to lockdown for next season, the Rockies might not be one of them. They have three players up for grabs: infielder Orlando Arcia, infielder Kyle Farmer and starting pitcher Germán Márquez.

2025 for Arcia, Márquez and Farmer

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The Rockies offense is what kept them from landing on the wrong side of history this season and that was led by the bats of both Goodman and Mickey Moniak, not Arcia nor Farmer.

Orlando Arcia: The Rockies signed him after he was released from the Atlanta Braves at the end of May this year and he ended up playing 62 games for the Rockies by the end of season. He was primarily used at both second base and third base. He also took reps at first base, but it is rather difficult to make the case for keeping him after his performance at the plate in 2025.

• 32 years old
• .202 Batting Average
• .242 On-Base Percentage
• .302 Slugging Percentage
• .544 OPS
• 12 RBI
• 3 Home Runs

Kyle Farmer: It is slightly easier to consider keeping Farmer, but that is comparing him to Arcia and not the rest of the team as his last two seasons have been easily the worst in the last half-dozen years.

• 36 years old
• .227 Batting Average
• .280 On-Base Percentage
• .365 Slugging Percentage
• .645 OPS
• 31 RBI
• 8 Home Runs

Germán Márquez: Márquez is the lone pitcher who entered into free agency and as the all-time leader in strikeouts for Colorado it seems like a no brainer to bring him back for the starting rotation. But his career fell off the deep end this year which hints that he isn't quite the same since his Tommy John surgery in 2023.

• 3-16 Record (26 starts)
• 6.70 ERA
• 106 Runs
• 6 Hit Batters
• 48 Walks
• 23 Home Runs
• 48 Walks
• 83 Strikeouts
• 1.71 WHIP
• .317 Opponent's Batting Average

Longest-tenured active Rockie, Germán Márquez!

⚾️ Ranks first in franchise history with 1,063 career strikeouts
⚾️ Ranks third in franchise history with 68 wins
⚾️ Ranks 12th among Venezuelan-born pitchers in MLB History with 1,063 career strikeouts pic.twitter.com/Vjd0NIwHJy

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 21, 2025

The pitching staff specifically was the worst in baseball and the team really cannot afford to keep someone who makes it worse. There is a possibility they keep him on, but it needs to be for a low amount and be prepared to release him if things go sideways quickly in the spring.

The Rockies need to find some help for Goodman and Moniak as they cannot be the only consistent parts of the batting order. It will be interesting to see what management does during the offseason, but it is pretty easy to argue that this trio shouldn't be seen in a Rockies uniform next year.

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