Can the Rockies turn their summer of discontent into a winter of promise?
That’s the hope as the front-office team of Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes heads to baseball’s winter meetings that begin Monday at the Hilton Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Fla.
DePodesta was hired as the Rockies’ president of baseball operations on Nov. 7. He hired Byrnes, his longtime friend, as his GM on Wednesday. The two are still trying to get a handle on the talent they have in Colorado, even as they attempt to mold the team’s future.
“It’s December, entering the winter meetings,” Byrnes said Friday, admitting he has some catching up to do with the Rockies. “Obviously, deals are happening, and we can’t be left behind. The most important thing is to put our heads together, sort out the best steps forward to get better, raise the floor, and start moving in a winning direction.”
The following are three big items topping the duo’s offseason to-do list:
• Fill out the staff: DePodesta already chose his manager, bringing back Warren Schaeffer, who was an interim manager for most of the 2025 season. But the rest of the big-league coaching staff and several roles within the organization still need to be filled. DePodesta said some of those roles will be filled within the next week.
The top priority? Colorado’s problematic pitching needs to be fixed. The club will attempt to do it with new coaches and personnel. Pitching coach Darryl Scott is gone, and bullpen coach Dustin Garneau left to become the Braves’ catching coach. Colorado also parted ways with minor league pitching strategist Flint Wallace and pitching coordinator Doug Linton. Former Rockies reliever Scott Oberg, who was working as a pitching coordinator, could still be in the picture.
• Make roster decisions: Will the Rockies continue full steam ahead with their youth movement? Or will they add a veteran or two to help stabilize a team that lost 119 games last season? The club will likely sign a veteran to play first or second base, at least for the short term.
The Rockies cut ties with strikeout-prone first baseman Michael Toglia, and it’s unclear if Warming Bernable is seen as a viable starter, even if it’s just for 2026. Prospect Charlie Condon is viewed as the first baseman of the future, but he would have to explode at the minor league level to get a call to the majors in 2026.
• Explore the trade market: The Rockies tend to be wallflowers during the offseason and also at the summer trade deadline. That could change with Podesta and Byrnes now in charge. Byrnes, in particular, is well-connected throughout baseball.
It’s no secret that the Rockies desperately need to upgrade a starting rotation that set a modern-era record for worst ERA (6.65) and produced the second-fewest innings pitched in baseball in 2025 (776 1/3 innings). Lefty Kyle Freeland and right-hander Ryan Feltner (if he’s healthy) are the only locks for the rotation. Right-hander Chase Dollander and Tanner Gordon are likely to make the staff, but Colorado needs depth.
Front-line free-agent pitchers shun Colorado’s high altitude, meaning trades are an option the Rockies must explore to acquire decent, veteran arms.
“I think the short answer is that there isn’t one answer, right?” DePodesta said when asked how Colorado would mend its broken rotation. “I think our eyes need to be open for every possible avenue. I say that to mean it could be free agents, it could be different types of free agents. (It) certainly could be trades. And it also needs to be some of the development of our own players.”
So who could be on the trading block? Outfielders, for sure. The most-coveted player at last year’s trade deadline was two-time Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time, and although he’s coming off a down year offensively, he’s fast, powerful, talented, and has an affordable contract. Would the Rockies be willing to give up a top defender at a key position for pitching? It’s a key question.
The Rockies have a surplus of young outfielders, including Jordan Beck, Mickey Moniak, Tyler Freeman and Yanquiel Fernández at the big-league level, as well as prospects Cole Carrigg, Robert Calaz, Max Belyeu, Jared Thomas and Zac Veen (the former No. 1 pick). Expect one or more of those players to be dealt.
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