When the Colorado Rockies hired Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations, he has a big job in front of him in terms of rebuilding a team that was coming off a 119-loss 2025 season.
One of the biggest reasons why Colorado was as bad as they were was because of their historically bad pitching numbers. The Rockies finished with an MLB-worst 5.97 ERA, and that wasn’t even close to the next team, the Washington Nationals, who had a 5.35 ERA.
The options for starters returning are not great, with veteran Kyle Freeland headlining the list. As far as the rest of the rotation goes, Colorado will need some of their young pitchers to come up and make an impact, but DePodesta also needs to add either through free agency or a trade.
If they decide to add in free agency, one veteran who is looking to prove that he is healthy is former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May.
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Earlier in his career, May was considered an up-and-coming young starter for the Dodgers. He had electric stuff and was seen as one of their future arms. However, injuries became an issue for May, and elbow issues have hampered his career.
Last season for Los Angeles, he went 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA in 104 innings pitched, but the Dodgers traded him at the deadline to the Boston Red Sox. After arriving in Boston, May struggled, going 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA in 28.1 innings before falling out of Alex Cora’s graces late in the season. His last start for the Red Sox was in early September against the Cleveland Guardians.
According to Spotrac, May is expected to get a deal this offseason with a $3.9 million AAV. That is the type of deal that DePodesta needs to try and take a chance on this upcoming season. When putting together a rotation this winter, some low-risk, high-reward options should be on the table for the Rockies.
May is someone who will be looking for a prove-it season in 2026, whether it comes on a one or two-year deal. Those are the type of deals that DePodesta should be looking for. Colorado is not going to contend in 2026 and maybe not for a while as the rebuild gets going this offseason, but some veterans who are looking to prove that they can still impact a rotation and possibly for a contender is an avenue to try.
Worst-case scenario is you can flip a player like May is he gains some value at the trade deadline if things go well in the first half of the season.