How Colorado’s depth could help DePodesta make moves this offseason

DENVER -- Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta sees his roster as having the necessary depth to make moves, should free agency and the trade market pick up after this week’s General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas.

“We’ll see. There are some other folks that seem like they're also prepared to move relatively quickly, but I guess we won't know until we're there, right?” DePodesta said. “There is certainly a chance for some movement here in the next couple weeks.”

DePodesta said that the Rockies will prioritize improving the starting pitching through multiple avenues -- trades, pursuits of established free agents and under-the-radar acquisitions.

A roster that has improved since DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes took over a year ago can help in their pursuit of players, although the Rockies had the Majors’ worst record for the second straight year and exceeded 100 losses for the fourth straight.

Two areas of the Rockies’ roster -- outfield and second base -- possess depth that could supply Colorado a couple of routes to further improvement.

Outfield
Jake McCarthy filled a hole in the leadoff spot, and Mickey Moniak signed a two-year, $16.25 million extension in August. Switch-hitting Cole Carrigg made his Major League debut in June, becoming a sparkplug after taking over in center field following Brenton Doyle’s trade to the White Sox at the Trade Deadline.

No. 11 prospect Sterlin Thompson debuted in May, and the club took a late-season look at 2020 first-round pick and 2026 Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Zac Veen. Right-handed-hitting Jordan Beck entered the year as a starter, but struggled against right-handed pitching. He saw reduced playing time and now enters arbitration for the first time.

Roldy Brito (Rockies’ No. 2 prospect, No. 52 overall), a Futures Game invitee; Charlie Condon (Rockies’ No. 3 prospect, No. 56 overall), who spent the ‘26 season at Triple-A Albuquerque; and Jared Thomas (Rockies’ No. 10 prospect), currently compiling a standout Arizona Fall League performance, are each considered close to making their Major League debuts.

Going deeper, No. 5 prospect Cristian Arguellas has proven bat-to-ball skills.

“It’s clear that we have some real outfield depth,” DePodesta said. “We’ve got a legitimate seven or eight guys that we consider Major League outfielders -- like, at the beginning of the ‘27 season, not someday or within a couple of years. They’re ready to go now.

“Assuming health on all those guys, we don't have room for all of them on our Opening Day roster, and I think other teams certainly see that. It’s been a part of some conversations. But we're also pretty happy to have that depth right now. We like every single one of them.”

Second base
The Rockies were expected to piece together playing time at second base throughout the season, but found themselves with some intriguing pieces by September.

Switch-hitting veteran Willi Castro: At the start of a two-year, $12.8 million contract, Castro slashed .260/.331/.417 with a career-best 15 home runs in 120 games before being shut down in September with left knee and right foot injuries.

“People don't sort of fully understand just how valuable Castro was to our team -- we cannot overstate how important he was,” DePodesta said. “During the offseason and going into Spring Training, having him allowed us to have lots of possibilities and bring in different players and give them a chance to compete in Spring Training to make our team.

“Then we get into the season, and you know, if anything happens with our club, we can make it work with Willi. He had a very good year, just on the surface. Under the surface, he was just as valuable, if not even more valuable, to the team as a whole.”

Trade acquisition Connor Norby: The right-handed-hitting Norby’s .302/.387/.457 slash line surpassed his performance with the Orioles (2024), who selected him in the second round of the ‘21 Draft, and Marlins (2024-26), who acquired him in exchange for Trevor Rogers at the ‘24 Trade Deadline.

“It's hard for players to get traded, especially younger players, but he had already been through it once,” DePodesta said. “This was his second time, and he had a very different sort of approach to it this time: ‘I'm just going to go be myself and not try to do too much or not try to be something I'm not.’”

Switch-hitting former top prospect Adael Amador: Forced into Major League action before he was ready in ‘24 and ‘25, Amador successfully filled the development gaps by spending most of ‘26 in Triple-A. His .277/.362/.482 performance in 27 games in ‘26 represented an offensive reset that was only part of the story.

“He really played well for us at the big league level -- certainly better than what everyone had told me about prior years," DePodesta said. "In Triple-A, he also played some third base and left field and was very early in those experiments.”

Left-swinging No. 12 prospect Roc Riggio: Acquired from the Yankees by former GM Bill Schmidt at the 2025 Trade Deadline, Riggio hit 22 combined homers between Double-A and Triple-A. His .369 on-base percentage was his highest over a full season as a pro.

"It's patience and power,” DePodesta said. “He knows when to be aggressive, and when he's aggressive, he does not get cheated. He is looking to do damage when he swings the bat.”

An intriguing second-base free-agent class includes Gleyber Torres, Jeff McNeil, Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jonathan India. The Rockies can deal from one of their second-base depth options and spend, or see if players they have in-house can reach new levels.