ESNY’s MLB Preview 2026: Concocting a cure for the Colorado Rockies

The chemo is sometimes worse than the cancer, which describes the Colorado Rockies to a tee.

Spotting the cancer is simple, it’s ownership. They’ve been rebuilding, rebuilding, and rebuilding again for over a decade now, ongoing chemotherapy for a team whose home ballpark stacks the deck against them.

Cut to last season and the Rockies finishing in last place (again), losing over 100 games (again), and having nothing close to true star power. Worse yet, they didn’t even match the 2024 Chicago White Sox’s mark of 121 losses, losing only 119. Small victory, right?

Wrong. The Rockies’ run differential was a pathetic -424.

Lucky for the dwindling fan base, something finally snapped and longtime manager Bud Black was fired midseason. Third base coach Warren Schaeffer was promoted on an interim basis and now has the full-time job.

Finishing last again is inevitable this year. The question is if the new front office regime can even chart a path out of the cellar and back to a Rocky Mountain high.

Greatest Addition: Michael Lorenzen. Until the Rockies have a reliable set of homegrown pitchers, the best they can do in terms of an ace is someone like Lorenzen. The veteran journeyman righty signed a one-year, $8 million deal with Colorado after posting a 4.64 ERA for the Royals in 2025. His deal also includes an option for the 2027 season.

This said, it’ll be a shock if Lorenzen posts an ERA under five, let alone finishes the year in a Rockies uniform. He’s a fly ball pitcher and that could be a problem in Coors Field. Still, the man has a no-hitter to his name and should eat some innings when healthy. Worst case scenario, he’s a trade chip in July.

Greatest Loss: Thairo Estrada. Let’s be frank, Thairo Estrada had a bad 2025. Injuries limited him to 39 games and he hit .253 with only three home runs. The Rockies declined his club option for the upcoming season, and he remains a free agent.

Sure, Estrada is far from a great player, can’t really field, and is likely on the decline at age 30. But he still had two 14-home runs seasons with the Giants and the Rockies could use depth all over the field. Are they really so picky that he didn’t deserve another shot at a full season in Coors Field?

Is the switch-hitting Willi Castro really that much of an improvement?

Greatest Strength: Paul DePodesta. If this name sounds familiar to you, it should. DePodesta made his bones as a Moneyball disciple under Billy Beane in Oakland and has worked in sports for nearly three decades. However, this is anything but a conventional hire.

See, before coming on as Colorado’s president of baseball operations in November, DePodesta had spent nearly a decade in a similar position with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Not exactly encouraging results but, again, this is the Rockies. The fact that DePodesta agreed to go work for the team is practically a miracle in and of itself.

If there’s anyone who could jumpstart a proper rebuild in Colorado, it might be Paul DePodesta. His adding veteran Josh Byrnes as his GM is an encouraging first sign.

Greatest Weakness: …Everything? The list of the Rockies’ weaknesses is longer than your standard CVS receipt. The team has no idea how to develop groundball pitchers while playing in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the game. The front office is so broken that the on-field talent barely meets MLB-standard, almost a Quadruple-A team.

Kris Bryant is still on the team too, by the way. His seven-year, $182 million deal runs through 2028, and he’s played in a whopping 170 games over the last four seasons. His degenerative back injury leaves him unable to run and with no timetable for a return. That leaves catcher Hunter Goodman as the lineup’s most reliable bat, assuming last year’s 31-homer campaign wasn’t a fluke.

What’s the cure for the Colorado Rockies? The answer is actually quite simple: Competence. Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes might not be hires that scream “World Series contender in three years,” but they know how the business works. They should revamp the farm system at an absolute minimum.

Otherwise? Expect this Rockies season to feature a lot of fat-trimming. There could be some significant turnover at the trade deadline depending on who stands out during the season. Maybe Ezequiel Tovar finally takes his walks and turns in another 25-home run campaign. Perhaps Goodman hits 30-plus again and Brenton Doyle plays stellar defense in center field. Even Jose Quintana can luck his way into being a valuable trade piece.

It’ll be another long and lonely last place finish in Colorado in 2026. The upside is that compared to last season, with DraftKings predicting 53.5 wins compared to just 43 in ’25, the Rockies should at least lose a little prettier this season.