The Colorado Rockies under new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta have made it through their first set of off-season milestones.
They made it through award season and saw Hunter Goodman win
a National League Silver Slugger. They have protected their chosen few from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster, and parted ways with a few familiar faces in order to do so. They’ve even made a few minor league pickups. Most importantly, last Friday was the last major deadline before after the Winter Meetings and into January: the non-tender deadline.
DePodesta had to decide which remaining arbitration eligible players might still figure into his plans for the rest of the off-season. The Rockies chose to tender contracts to all remaining eligible players, although the numbers have yet to be cemented. Below are salary projections for arbitration-eligible players.
LHP Brennan Bernardino, $1.1 million projected
Unsurprisingly, Paul DePodesta chose to tender a contract to his first trade acquisition since the mid-2000s as a baseball executive. The Rockies acquired left-handed pitcher Brennan Bernardino from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Braiden Ward last week. A 33-year-old reliever with three solid seasons of work for the Red Sox under his belt, Bernardino represents the Rockies tapping into their depth for a position of need on the big league roster. He throws a sinker and curveball as his one-two punch as part of a five-pitch arsenal and excels at avoiding hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground.
Projected to make just $1.1 million in arbitration, the Rockies can use Bernardino as a reliable bullpen piece with the option of selling high at the trade deadline in 2026. However, they can also choose to keep him around if the price is reasonable, as he has several years of remaining team control.
RHP Jimmy Herget, $1.5 million projected
Right-handed reliever Jimmy Herget is probably the only player tendered a contract with a legitimate argument to ask for more money. Herget is coming off a truly excellent career season in which he posted a 2.48 ERA over 83 1/3 innings and was the second-most valuable player on the roster by wins above replacement. Keeping Herget was a no-brainer for a team in constant need of pitching.
Much like Bernardnio, Herget will help the rebuilding Rockies just by being a reliable presence out of the bullpen. The Rockies declined to sell high at the 2025 deadline and might do the same this coming season. However, Herget isn’t a free agent until 2028 and the Rockies might choose to keep him around if the price is right.
INF/OF Tyler Freeman, $1.8 million projected
Acquired last off-season in exchange for Nolan Jones, Tyler Freeman was a revelation at the plate with his ability to get on base and avoid striking out. However, his defense left much to be desired and dragged him down to a rough -1.3 wins above replacement.
Freeman is entering his age 27 season and the Rockies will definitely want to keep his patient bat around, but there’s another reason they might have kept him. The Rockies have yet to find a true solution at second base, which just so happens to be Freeman’s natural position. If he can clean up his defensive skills this winter, Freeman could be a viable option at second base for relatively little money.
RHP Ryan Feltner, $2.3 million projected
Ryan Feltner was probably safe due to the fact that the Rockies still need an established starter other than Kyle Freeland to be part of their rotation. With Germán Márquez and Austin Gomber gone, Antonio Senzatela moved to the bullpen, and many questions revolving around Chase Dollander, McCade Brown, and Carson Palmquist, a projected $2.3 million is a small price to pay for someone who has flashed the occasional brilliance like Feltner has.
2025 was supposed to be a potential breakout season for Feltner. Unfortunately, he only threw 30 1/3 innings before back spasms shut him down for much of the rest of the season. A free agent in 2029, Feltner still possibly has a lot to give to the Rockies if he can stay healthy and cement himself as a key piece of the rotation. He could also draw an interesting return at the deadline if the Rockies choose to move on.
CF Brenton Doyle, $3.2 million projected
After a miserable first half that once saw him as low as -2.0 wins above replacement, Brenton Doyle found his footing to end the season with positive WAR. The two-time Gold Glove winner looked much more like himself in the final months of the season. However, Doyle’s future with the organization is unknown as he heads into his age 28 season.
The Rockies have prospects like Cole Carrigg waiting in the wings, but at the same time a projected $3.2 million is a small price to pay if Doyle can bounce back to his 2024 form. Doyle is without a double the best defensive center fielder the Rockies have ever had and he could definitely be a building block for the future. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if DePodesta chose to trade Doyle to obtain other organizational necessities.
OF Mickey Moniak, $4.2 million projected
Mickey Moniak is a tricky subject. The Rockies acquired him for essentially nothing last season after he was cut loose by the Los Angeles Angels after spring training. Moniak then proceeded to put together a career year at the plate, hitting .270/.306/.518 with 20 doubles, eight triples, 24 home runs and 68 RBIs. However, much like Tyler Freeman his defense left a lot to be desired and dragged him down to negative wins above replacement.
The former first overall pick proved to be a big league player at the plate, but his $4.2 million projected salary in 2026 is a tough pill to swallow when there are no guarantees he can repeat his performance. It’s entirely possible the front office manages to negotiate a lower salary for the season and, if that’s the case, Moniak will look like a steal if he can continue his upwards trajectory. He also has easy placement in the outfield should the Rockies choose to part ways with any of their other outfielders.
Conclusion
Ultimately, DePodesta’s decision to tender contracts to these six players was a low-risk move with a projected maximum financial commitment of only $14.1 million on a team with a relatively low payroll. It doesn’t cement any long-term resources and gives the new president of baseball operations more time to evaluate the resources that he has available to him. The new head of the front office has already suggested he could dip into positions of depth in order to obtain team needs like starting pitching.
DePodesta’s moves that will build his identity as the head of Rockies baseball are likely yet to come, with the Winter Meetings fast approaching and the next major roster deadline coming in January. He also must still hire his general manager, find a manager, and fill out a multitude of other coaching and front office positions. For now he has at least temporarily locked down players that have the potential to be key contributors for the 2026 season with minimal financial impact.
‘I can handle this’: Rockies prospect Wimmer undergoes brain surgery | MLB.com
Recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, Rockies utility prospect Braylen Wimmer underwent a procedure called an awake craniotomy. The procedure involves the patient being awake and asked questions/carrying a conversation while the tumor is removed. Wimmer is undergoing more than anyone could normally ask a young man his age, but his comments show incredible determination.
“Because I can handle this,” Wimmer said. “And maybe that’s my purpose, so one day I can help others through similar cases.”
Wimmer’s surgery is said to have went well, though he has a long way to go before he can lace up his cleats for the Rockies organization once more.
After Rockies’ vote of confidence, Hughes has big opportunity | MLB.com
Rockies top pitching prospect Gabriel Hughes was recently added to the team’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. For a prospect like Hughes, that means he’s been given a vote of confidence from the organization that an MLB debut might be coming soon. Hughes, recently recovered from Tommy John surgery, spent much of his 2025 season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. He spent much of his season learning how to be patient, learning about his mindset and his pitch arsenal, and learning to be a pitcher and not a thrower.
“It’s not changing my mechanics, not changing my sights,” he said. “The biggest change for me was the mindset around pitch usage — understanding that some of my pitches will play better at higher elevation versus at low elevation, and understanding how I can use that information to change the percentages that I’m throwing each pitch.”
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
