The Colorado Rockies enter a rather big offseason in Paul DePodesta's second season in charge as president of baseball operations. Last offseason, he got a bit of a late start after being hired in early November.
He hit the ground running, but maybe the biggest thing was that he didn't overreact and start trading players to make some moves. He hired John Byrnes as his general manager and removed the interim tag from Warren Schaeffer as his manager.
When it came time to make some moves, he ended up making two that were under-the-radar moves paid off big time and one he hasn't made yet that he doesn't get enough credit for.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed each MLB team's MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year in 2026. For the Rockies, his were spot on, but also proved that there are building blocks in place for the future.
Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Reuter listed Hunter Goodman as Colorado's MVP, Tomoyuki Sugano as the Cy Young winner, and first baseman TJ Rumfield as the Rockies Rookie of the Year. Let's be honest, those are spot on, but now come some offseason decisions that could be key for the future of the club.
Let's start with Goodman . He is an all-star catcher, and those don't grow on trees. Sure, DePodesta could use him as trade bait to fill potentially multiple needs that Colorado has, but do they have his replacement in the organization? Unlikely, but could they replace him in a trade? Also unlikely.
That's why thinking twice about trading Goodman this offseason is a must if their rebuild is going to take another step in 2027.
As for Sugano, he was hands down the best Rockies starting pitcher this season. Michael Lorenzen was a disappointment, and Jose Quintana dealt with injuries.
Sugano is a free agent, and does DePodesta make an effort to bring him back for another season? Would Sugano want to come back and headline the rotation? Those are questions that only Sugano could answer.
Rumfield was an under-the-radar trade with the New York Yankees last offseason. He was being blocked in the Yankees organization by Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice. Rumfield had done everything he needed to in the minors, and Brian Cashman trading him was a no-brianer and the Rockies cashed in.
Rumfield fell short of winning a Gold Glove on Sunday night, but that takes nothing away from his first season in Denver .
The 26-year-old Virginia Tech product slashed .300/.390/.453 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs in 2026 in 155 games. Colorado is looking for some young players to build around, and Rumfield is one of those, solidifying a corner infield position and playing above-average defense.
This all leads to an interesting offseason for Colorado, but it also proves that things are moving in the right direction. Now, it's a matter of building around the younger players, beginning with Goodman and Rumfield.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rockies/onsi as MLB Writer's Rockies Postseason Awards Prove Young Core Pieces Are in Place .
