The 2026 Major League Baseball season kicks off on Wednesday with the Yankees taking on the Giants.

But the Rockies won’t start their campaign until Friday when they face the Marlins — the team that entered the league with them in 1993 — on Friday in Miami.

Colorado is coming off back-to-back-to-back 100-loss seasons. But now with a new front office, optimism is slowly trickling back into the Mile High City. Oddsmakers still believe the Rockies are the worst team in baseball. According to BetMGM, they are the heavy favorites to win the fewest regular-season games at -400 odds — meaning a $400 bet to win $100 — and they have the worst odds to win the World Series at +100,000.

Renck: Failure, faith, fortitude make Michael Lorenzen a good fit for the Rockies

But what do national media outlets think? Here’s a look at various power rankings, including one that doesn’t have Colorado at dead last:

Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (Rank: No. 30): “The Rockies’ long road back to relevancy began in earnest when the club hired Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations in November. Colorado has few bankable regulars though does have up-the-middle presence via catcher Hunter Goodman, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle. Otherwise, the future is the focus. DePo acquired post-hype 20-somethings Jake McCarthy, Edouard Julien and Troy Johnston and also signed free agents Willi Castro to play third base and starters Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano to take the ball every fifth turn.” See the full rankings.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter (Rank: No. 29): “New Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta is preaching the organization’s need to embrace their unique situation playing at altitude, so perhaps baseball’s most directionless organization finally has a direction. To that point, they added Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, and Tomoyuki Sugano in an effort to bolster a starting rotation that was dead last in the majors with a 6.65 ERA in 2025.” See the full rankings.

CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder (Rank: No. 30): “Their win total (commonly known as “over/under”) is 54.5. Gimme the over!” See the full rankings.

ESPN’s Jorge Castillo (Rank: No. 30): “Colorado finally hit the front office reset button, hiring longtime executive Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations to replace general manager Bill Schmidt to course correct. DePodesta told ESPN’s Alden González that he is embracing the challenge of solving the crisis that is pitching in Denver. DePodesta didn’t overhaul the roster over the winter, instead signing four players to contracts of one or two years and making minor trades. The Rockies will look to avoid disaster.” See the full rankings.

MLB.com’s Will Leitch (Rank: No. 30): “There’s a new leadership group in Denver, and while it might be a while until the new approach starts to reap rewards, it’s just refreshing to see, at last, some different thinking at Coors Field.” See the full rankings.

SB Nations’ Mark Schofield (Rank: No. 30): “It might be a long season for these six teams, but still, their fans will get to sit in the sun and enjoy those dogs, at least a few times this season.” See the full rankings.

The Athletic’s Andy McCullough (Rank: No. 30): “At long last, the Rockies embraced change this winter. After years of kvetching about the unfairness of playing in altitude at Coors Field, the new regime led by Paul DePodesta has begun to talk about turning the conditions into a home-field advantage. Will the team be able to make that transformation in one offseason? Doubtful. They still might be the worst team in baseball in 2026. But even a change in rhetoric is a welcome sight for Rockies fans, who watched the franchise turn into a laughingstock despite consistent support and strong attendance numbers.” See the full rankings.

The Ringer’s Anthony Dabbundo (Rank: No. 30): “All in all, the Rockies will have enough respectable pitching to avoid flirting with the White Sox’s win-loss record once again. They will continue to provide a fun summer baseball-viewing experience at Coors Field, but they just won’t be doing much winning at all.” See the full rankings.

Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Mintz (Rank: No. 30): “The 2026 Rockies should be better than the 2025 Rockies, but the 2026 Rockies might still be worse than every other ballclub. Colorado’s disastrous season precipitated a long overdue front-office overhaul. That new direction won’t reorient the big-league team’s fortunes this season, but it’ll be interesting to see if there are any legitimate signs of improvement. Keep an eye on starting pitcher Chase Dollander, the most talented arm in the organization. If he takes steps forward, that’s a huge deal for Colorado and a positive harbinger.”  See the full rankings.

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