Two Rockies Free Agents They Can't Afford to Lose (and One They Can)

It was a trying season for the Colorado Rockies, and when someone sees that they lost 100 games again, they are easily discouraged. However, even with a trying September, the Rockies won 15 more games than a year ago.

That being said, there are some key free agents that are departing from the ballclub, and a couple definitely need to return so that the organization can keep taking positive steps forward to eventually make it back to the playoffs.

Ultimately, the biggest downfall of the Rockies has been their pitching staff, and many are on expiring deals:

Kyle Freeland
Jose Quintana
Tomoyuki Sugano
Jordan Romano
Michael Lorenzen
German Marquez

Home run No. 15 from Willi Castro gives the @Rockies the lead! pic.twitter.com/BwczpnBCPL
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2026

Colorado fans would love to see their homegrown pitcher (Freeland) return, and with how he finished the year, the front office needs to honor their wishes. Even though Sugano led the team in wins and ERA (amongst starters), he got considerably worse as the year went on.

Everyone knows that for this ballclub to win consistently, its offense has to show up. So, as Willi Castro becomes a free agent, management will want to bring him back for a plethora of reasons, as he was a solid weapon in 2026.

The Rockies can afford to lose Sugano, but missing both Freeland and Castro from the 2027 roster would be catastrophic.

Why Freeland and Castro Both Need To Stay in Purple

Tomoyuki Sugano throws a baseball in a grey Colorado jersey — Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) delivers the ball during the first inning against the White Sox. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a trying year for Freeland, to say the least, as he accumulated 12 losses in his 26 starts. However, he started to find a groove as time went on, posting a 4.75 ERA over his final seven games.

Of course, an ERA that high isn't what any team is really after, but that would have been by far the best stat on Colorado's roster this year amongst starters, as they have historic struggles with keeping runs off the board.

That, combined with Freeland's leadership, is an excellent reason for the front office to bring him back.

Then, there is Castro, who had some bumps along the road in his first year with Colorado, but ended up finishing the year off with a slash line of .260/.331/.417, logging 15 home runs and driving in 56 runs.

Willii Castro hits a baseball in a purple Rockies jersey — Rockies infielder Willi Castro (3) hits into an RBI fielder's choice against the Giants. Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This organization's roster is quite young and will get even younger next season when Charlie Condon gets his call-up. So, having a veteran who is capable of playing almost anywhere on the field will do nothing but help them overall.

The Rockies are going to lose a lot of pitching, so their biggest priority will be addressing that issue as much as possible, and bringing back Freeland is definitely a piece of that puzzle.

Meanwhile, the position players look pretty strong, but Castro needs to remain with the ballclub to keep producing, and the plate as well as mentoring all of the young talent that is there.

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