DENVER – Left-hander Kyle Freeland is aware of the possibility that his scheduled start on Sunday -- which will extend his Rockies record to 251 -- could be his last.
Freeland possesses an expiring contract and is having a struggling season with a rebuilding club. His recent performances have been frustrating, but he has had enough good stretches that it’s conceivable that a contending club might acquire him in a pinch before Monday’s 4 p.m. MT Trade Deadline.
All these factors are stronger than the magnetic pull between the Denver native and his hometown club.
“There really haven’t been conversations between myself and our coaches or the front office about it,” Freeland said. “It’s more of an understanding. We’re on the same page. I’m not having the year that I want to have in the final year of my contract.
“I don’t believe I’m going to be part of the organization moving forward and I understand that. I’ve spent the last 10 years here, but it’s an understanding that if a team does call for me, they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do for the future.”
The 2.30 ERA Freeland posted in his first three starts before sustaining left shoulder inflammation and not seeing action for two months seems long ago. The consistent crooked numbers that have pushed his ERA up to 7.34 don’t lie. But the fact they haven’t improved lately vexes him. The last couple starts have followed the pattern of first-inning runs, followed by stingy work during innings 2-4, but ending with a home run in the sixth inning to cost himself a quality start.
“I’ve had a lot of starts this year where it was, ‘Gosh, one thing here and one thing there and we’re sitting pretty,’” Freeland said. “You look at my starts and it’s small things -- if I would have executed better or if we had made this play, it would have been better. If I hadn’t walked this guy, I wouldn’t have let an inning snowball.
“There are also a lot of starts where I got my teeth kicked in by the third inning.”
His first two seasons in the Majors, 2017 and '18, Freeland helped lead the Rockies to their last two postseason trips. It led to his signing his current five-year, $64.5 million contract. Freeland’s injury and his struggles place him at 99 1/3 innings, so he won’t reach the 170 innings required to guarantee him $17 million for 2027 under a vesting option.
Freeland was one of the veterans that manager Warren Schaeffer pulled into a meeting and requested their leadership as soon as he replaced Bud Black last May. Schaeffer said Freeland upheld his assignment.
“That’s what true leaders do -- true leaders don’t just lead when they’re going through good spells,” Schaeffer said. “This game is full of ups and downs. Kyle has had his share of downs this year, for sure, but his leadership has remained constant.
“He’s had a ton of ups in his career here in Denver. Everybody knows that. And when you walk through the clubhouse, he’s one of the biggest leaders. He hasn’t changed at all this year.”
Having stood for his hometown and Rockies pitching for so long, Freeland acknowledges that it might be time for someplace different.
“We’ll see what the future holds, but the way this season has gone for a guy like me or Michael Lorenzen [a right-hander who lately has pitched well on the road], who's only been here for a year, that we could be change-of-scenery candidates,” Freeland said. “Maybe get some fresh eyes, maybe a new team, whatever that may be. See if there is some value for a couple of months.
“This is my hometown, but whatever happens at the Deadline happens. I’ll focus on Sunday, and then I’ll focus on my next start -- whether that’s with the Rockies or with another team.”