MLB Free Agency Signings: How Does This Impact the Colorado Rockies?

MLB Free Agency Signings: How Does This Impact the Colorado Rockies?
Mon 15th February 2021

The Colorado Rockies will have a rough time competing in 2021. The team traded Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals, and there’s a strong chance Trevor Story will be traded this season instead of being resigned next year. The club didn’t do much on the free agent market this offseason, as this look at the club for 2021 shows.

The team saw a few players depart this season, although many of them were players who hadn’t performed very well. The club did not try to get many people on the MLB free agency market either. But a few other teams in their division got some new faces on the market, making things harder for the Rockies this coming season.

Prominent Departures

The Rockies have struggled to try and develop players and keep them for a while. The team’s inability to keep Nolan Arenado is a sign of this point. The team had to trade him to restore their minor league system.


While they got starting pitcher Austin Gomber back from St. Louis, Gomber hasn’t been as dynamic of a pitcher as people would hope. He had 27 strikeouts last season in limited action, and the air conditions at Coors Field won’t help him much.

The Rockies saw many people depart this offseason, including reliever Wade Davis. He left for the Kansas City Royals on a minor league contract.

Davis was yet another victim of the rough air conditions in Denver, getting a 20.77 ERA and three strikeouts. Reliever James Pazos also left for the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Ashton Goudeau went to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The team has yet to sign a few notable players as of February 2021. Outfield Matt Kemp, reliever A.J. Ramos, and first baseman Daniel Murphy have not been resigned and are expected to go elsewhere on the market.

The Rockies are left with a weak offense due to these departures, and the potential for Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story to be traded midway through the season won’t help.

The general hope for the Rockies is to see that the team’s young prospects can develop and reach the big show this season. The club will likely see plenty of them arriving as the most experienced and valuable players start to depart as the season progresses.

Who is Arriving?

The Rockies were quiet on the free agent front this season. The team resigned reliever Joe Harvey and starter Chi Chi Gonzalez. The team also signed reliever Dereck Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers, although whether he will be on the starting roster in April remains unclear.

A Tough Division

The greatest concern about the Rockies this year is that the NL West has become more top-heavy this year. The San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers were much more active in free agency than the Rockies. The two teams are closer to the World Series than the Rockies, and it shows through their intense offseason efforts.


While the Rockies were breaking the team apart and getting rid of some players, the Dodgers bolstered their team by signing Trevor Bauer and Tommy Kahnle.

They also avoided arbitration with Corey Knebel and Dylan Floro. San Diego also brought in Ha-Seong Kim from South Korea, but the team’s trades to bolster their starting rotation will make them even more challenging.

The Colorado Rockies aren’t going to have much of a season in 2021. The team’s lack of action in free agency and some of the changes others in the NL West made this offseason show the Rockies will struggle to try and get out of the bottom of the division this season.

The MLB season is almost upon us! If you are like us, then you are counting down the days until the season opener. But until then, make sure you check out our MLB hub page, for all the latest on what’s going on in baseball.

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