Following the All-Star break, here are five goals the Rockies should aim for when the second half of the season begins on Friday against the Reds at Coors Field, the start of a six-game homestand.
Avoid four straight 100-loss seasons
Only four MLB franchises have lost 100-plus games four seasons in a row, and it would be an important moral victory for the Rockies to avoid joining this dubious club that features the Boston Doves/Braves (current Atlanta Braves) from 1909-12, the Phillies (who hold the record with five consecutive from 1938-42), the Washington Senators (current Rangers) from 1961-64, and the New York Mets from 1962-65.
At 39-59 (.398) entering Friday, the Rockies need to go 24-40 (.375) to finish 63-99.
To finish with 99 losses would be a huge leap from last year’s historically inept 119-toss campaign. It would also be an obvious sign that Colorado’s first-year front office, led by president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes, has some traction.
Can the 2027 Rockies be the White Sox, who are in first place in the AL Central this season, two years after setting a modern record with 121 losses? Probably not, considering the Rockies’ division is much tougher, but look at what Chicago did last season. The White Sox cut their defeats by 19 to 102. They let young talent flourish while adding some big names around them, i.e., signing all-star first baseman Munetaka Murakami this year.
Make impactful trade-deadline moves
The Rockies need to start winning the trade deadline and break the habits under past GMs Bill Schmidt and Jeff Bridich that simply weren’t working — no matter if Colorado was buyers or sellers. This year’s deadline is August 3.
A quick recent history lesson of Colorado trade deadlines gone wrong: Recall how Schmidt didn’t move Elias Diaz at the 2023 trade deadline, when the catcher’s market value peaked with his All-Star selection and subsequent MVP in the Midsummer Classic. Instead, the Rockies hung onto Diaz into 2024, didn’t trade him again, and then released him that August and got nothing for him.
Even when the Rockies made an aggressive selling move last season, sending third baseman Ryan McMahon in exchange for minor-league pitchers Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, that was an empty trade for Colorado until DePodesta salvaged it with a deft deal in January. Herring has an 8.06 ERA in Hartford this year, and Grosz was dealt to the Diamondbacks in an offseason trade that brought outfielder Jake McCarthy to Colorado.
Going back even further, the Rockies’ trade-deadline record is mediocre at best.
See: Not trading shortstop Trevor Story at the 2021 deadline (Story declined Colorado’s qualifying offer that offseason, and the Rockies got a comp pick for that, which they used on recently-debuted outfielder Sterlin Thompson). And in 2017 and ’18, the Rockies didn’t do enough to bolster playoff teams. That was especially true in ’18, when Colorado had its first division title within its sights, but its only significant deal was for right-handed reliever Seunghwan Oh with the Blue Jays. Oh was a valuable bullpen piece, but the Rockies needed more.
So this deadline, it’s clear Colorado needs to sell high on both right-hander Antonio Senzatela (who has a club option next season) and outfielder Mickey Moniak (under club control through 2027).
Senzatela has been the Rockies’ best bullpen arm this season, with a 3.31 ERA in 30 appearances and 1.4 WAR; after being converted from a starter, his market value has never been and will probably come back down to earth next season. As for Moniak, he’s having another solid season, batting .278 with 15 homers, and in a crowded Colorado outfield, it’s hard to see the 28-year-old in Colorado’s long-term rebuilding plans.
DePodesta should also field offers for the team’s two veteran starters who could bring return value in the form of controllable minor-league arms. Those two possibilities are right-handers Michael Lorenzen (who has a club option for 2027 that includes a $250,000 buyout) and Tomoyuki Sugano (who is on a one-year deal; he’s currently on the IL for a back spasm issue that Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said isn’t serious).
Decide on a starting pitching plan for 2027
Speaking of starting pitching, Colorado should use the trade deadline and the second half to narrow its focus on a blueprint to address the team’s Achilles heel going forward. The Rockies must identify which current rotational arms could be options for the future, and who in the minors could realistically be projected to step up and fill gaps over the next couple of seasons.
Ryan Feltner, who is under club control for two more seasons and has a 4.55 ERA in 13 starts in 2026, is a safe bet to be part of the rotation again in 2027. Prized young pitcher Chase Dollander, whose 2026 season was ended by on his right elbow last month, is in the club’s future plans. But it’s unlikely he’ll be ready for a full starter’s workload in 2027.
Beyond those two, there are many questions and very few answers.
Longtime rotational mainstay Kyle Freeland has a 7.36 ERA in 17 starts; he has a that vests with 170 innings pitched this year. He’s currently at 88 innings and has only hit 170 innings once in his career, in 2022. The Colorado kid’s time in LoDo could be in its final chapter.
The second half will be a good chance for Colorado to evaluate some unproven arms — especially 2022 first-round pick Gabriel Hughes, and possibly southpaw Sean Sullivan, who is currently back in Triple-A — while formulating a rotational plan for 2027.
There’s not a ton of help on the immediate horizon on the farm, so DePodesta will have to get creative to continue to fill in the starting pitching gaps. Bringing back Lorenzen, who has trade value as discussed above, and signing a veteran or two off the scrap heap could be the course. While there are glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel in every other facet of the club, starting pitching depth remains the central issue that the Rockies must solve.
Figure out if Ezequiel Tovar is in the long-term plans
Ezequiel Tovar signed a at the end of spring training in 2024 and immediately made that deal look like a bargain for Colorado. That season, Tovar won his first Gold Glove Award and accumulated 3.4 WAR while hitting .269 with 26 homers and an NL-best 45 doubles.
But over the past two seasons, the falloff has been steep and undeniable, especially on offense.
Tovar had an injury-riddled 2025, limiting him to 95 games while sapping his power and diminishing his defensive wizardry. His hitting this season has been bad — he’s accumulated -0.7 bWAR while batting just .200 with eight homers in the first half. His bat at home, where he’s hitting .190 at Coors Field, has been especially concerning.
The Rockies’ next-in-line at shortstop, No. 1 prospect Ethan Holliday, was showing promise in his first full season of pro ball with Low-A Fresno. But a stress fracture in his left foot Drafted out of high school at No. 4 overall, Holliday is still several years away from the big leagues. Colorado also just used its most recent first-round pick this year on another shortstop, Kentucky switch-hitter Tyler Bell at No. 10 overall, though Bell is projected as a player who could change positions.
Colorado’s only other shortstop option on the 40-man roster is Ryan Ritter, who is currently in Triple-A.
So what will the Rockies do, considering Tovar has five more years left on his deal? They’ve been patient so far, but Tovar’s lack of production should make his role a talking point internally going forward.
… and same question with Brenton Doyle
The Rockies have also seen an alarming drop-off from center fielder Brenton Doyle.
Like Tovar, Doyle has also been sub-replacement level this season with -0.4 bWAR. Doyle, who won consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 2023 and ’24, is under club control for three more seasons. After slugging 23 homers with a .260 average in ’24, he regressed last season before nosediving in this one. Slowed by injuries in 2026 — he’s been on the injured list with an oblique contusion for almost two months — he’s batting just .207 with one homer in 43 games.
This season has been nothing short of a disaster for Doyle, and the production of Jake McCarthy (batting .301) as well as the arrival of promising rookie Cole Carrigg has created the possibility that Doyle is now expendable in center field.
