Rockies Ace’s Latest Injury Could Cost Him $17 Million in 2027

The Colorado Rockies are without one of their key starters and it could cost him some serious money next season.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Kyle Freeland has looked sharp in his first three starts for the Colorado Rockies. For a pitcher that only won five games in each of his last two seasons, a three-game sample with a 1-1 record and a 2.30 ERA looks pretty good.

But, Freeland will be on the shelf for a bit. On Wednesday the Rockies placed him on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. The move was retroactive to Monday when he suffered the injury. Colorado won't get him back until the end of the month, at minimum.

The Rockies are hoping that he'll only need the 15 days to get right. Freeland probably feels the same way. The veteran Rockies ace wants to pitch, and not just because he’s pitched for the Rockies since 2017 and wants to help them win games. It's important to his future in 2027.

Kyle Freeland’s Contract Clause

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Rockies signed Freeland to a five-year $64.5 million contract extension in 2022. It was a way for the Rockies to avoid arbitration with the young left-hander, a Denver native who wanted to stay with the organization.

Like many contracts it came with several different riders including bonuses for Cy Young finishes. But it also came with a player option. Player options, team options and mutual options are not unusual in long-term deals. But Freeland’s option is a little different. It's a vesting option, and it's tied to his performance and durability this season.

Vesting options are typically tied to player performance. Per Spotrac, Freeland is due $17 million in 2027, but he must accomplish one thing — he must throw 170 innings for the Rockies this season. However long it takes him to get off the injured list could make the difference between reaching that benchmark and falling short. His history doesn’t help, either.

Freeland has reached at least 170 innings in a season twice in his career. The first time was in 2018, as he threw 202.1 innings and went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA. He made 33 starts in his second season in the Majors and still stands as the best season of his career.

In 2022, the first season of his current contract, he went 9-11 with a 4.53 ERA in 31 starts and through 174.2 innings. Had the vesting option been tied to that performance, he would have cleared it, but by less than five innings.

He’s also made 30 or more starts in three seasons, the third being last season, during which he went 5-17 with a 4.98 ERA in 31 starts. He managed just short of 170 innings, as he threw 162.2 innings.

It shows just how narrow the margins are for a pitcher like Freeland to attain 170 innings and get the vesting option. This injury only makes it harder.