Outlook for the Rockies Bullpen Next Season

Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen Lead the Way in Rockies Bullpen

This pair of right-handers were competing for the closer role in spring training. Seth Halvorsen won the job to begin the season. But both pitchers saw closing opportunities throughout the year. They are both still in their mid-twenties and offer plenty of upside going forward. Victor Vodnik has proven to be quite the coup for the Rockies. He and promising starting pitcher Tanner Gordon were both acquired at the deadline from the Atlanta Braves in 2023 for aging reliever Pierce Johnson. The trade has proven to be a huge win for the Rockies.

Halvorsen was drafted in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft out of the University of Tennessee. Per Statcast, both pitchers are near the top of the league in fastball velocity. Vodnik reaches 98.7 mph (97th percentile) and Halvorsen 100 mph (100th percentile), respectively. Both pitchers were also near the top of the Rockies’ bullpen in K/9 and are adept at forcing ground balls, which is essential for success when pitching at altitude.

This was Vodnik’s best season statistically. His 3.02 ERA was almost a full run higher than his previous high (4.28 ERA). He finished with 10 saves and seven holds. He was second and third, respectively, among Rockies pitchers in both ERA (3.02) and WAR (1.8). Halvorsen carried an unsightly 4.99 ERA, but still finished with 11 saves and has great metrics. He suffered a mild right flexor strain during an appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 2. But he luckily avoided surgery and is expected to be ready by the start of next season.

Juan Mejia and Jaden Hill

Right-hander Juan Mejia, 25, is right there with Halvorsen and Vodnik when it comes to Rockies’ relievers with high upside. Mejia finished second behind only Herget in games played (55). His 10.0 K/9 leads the Rockies’ pitching staff, and he is in the upper half of the league in numerous metrics, per Statcast. Fellow righty Jaden Hill, the Rockies’ second-round pick out of Louisiana State University in 2021, also showed plenty of upside in 28 games this season.

Solid Veteran Presence

The Rockies have one of the youngest teams in the league. But their two oldest players reside in the bullpen. They are 33-year-old left-hander Brennan Bernardino, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox this offseason, and 32-year-old right-hander Jimmy Herget, who had a stellar season for the Rockies this past season. Bernardino had a solid season for the Red Sox this year, finishing with a 3.14 ERA. He was also heavily utilized, finishing fifth on the Red Sox in appearances (55).

Per Statcast, Bernardino finished in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity (87.6 mph) and was great at limiting hard contact and getting ground balls. It is to be determined how that success will translate to altitude. But if he pitches well, he’ll provide great value for the Rockies, considering he was acquired for a minor league utility player set to enter the Rule 5 Draft.

Herget provided great value for the Rockies after being claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs in November 2024. He ended up becoming one of the Rockies’ top relievers. His 3.0 WAR and 2.48 ERA both easily led the Rockies. He was also the most used reliever out of the Rockies’ bullpen, finishing with a career high 83 1/3 innings pitched and 59 games. Herget was a pleasant surprise for a team that always struggles to convince pitching talent to come to Colorado. He will be relied upon heavily again next season out of the Rockies’ bullpen as both Bernardino and Herget were tendered contracts ahead of the non-tender deadline on November 21.

No “Super Bullpen”

The phrase “Super Bullpen” will echo around Colorado for a long time. It references the Rockies’ ill-fated move to shell out $106 million in 2018 for veteran relievers Jake McGee, Bryan Shaw, and Wade Davis. Possessing a great lineup, then-general manager Jeff Bridich attempted to fix the club’s longstanding bullpen issues by handing out record money to three premier relievers.

Shaw was coming off a 2017 with the Cleveland Indians in which he pitched in a career high 79 games while boasting a 3.52 ERA. Davis was coming off three straight All-Star appearances with the Kansas City Royals and Cubs, amassing 76 combined saves. McGee had already spent two seasons with the Rockies after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays. He had a solid 2017, but not enough so that it was worth a raise to $9 million annually from 2018 to 2021.

McGee and Shaw both played in 61 games each in 2018. They combined for a 6.21 ERA, 10 losses, 19 home runs allowed, and were both at the bottom of the Rockies’ pitching staff in WAR. Neither finished out their contract in Colorado. Shaw left after two seasons with a 5.61 ERA over 131 games pitched. McGee had slightly better numbers over his four years in Colorado. However, he left with a whopping 34 home runs allowed over 225 games.

Davis’ career in Colorado could not have gone much worse. He finished with a -1.4 WAR, a 6.49 ERA, and zero All-Star appearances. Still, his 2018 season was solid. He finished with a 4.13 ERA and a career high 43 saves. But he plummeted in 2019. His ERA skyrocketed to 8.65, and he finished with just 15 saves and three blown saves.

Bullpen in a Much Better Place

The “Super Bullpen” is a great lesson that throwing a lot of money at something isn’t always the answer. You can understand that the Rockies were trying to chase a World Series and fill in the weakest link of their team with some major additions. But it was a massive overpay and one of the biggest stains on Bridich’s tenure as the Rockies’ general manager. But the bright side? The Rockies’ bullpen is in a much better place now and much cheaper. Herget is projected to be the highest-paid reliever, estimated by Spotrac to earn $2.5 million this season.

Every other reliever outside of Bernardino is set to make below $1 million this season.

The Rockies’ bullpen still needs to prove it has staying power. But in the history of the franchise, the Rockies arguably have never had this much young talent and upside out of the bullpen. There are still plenty of holes in other places on the roster. But this bullpen will have a chance to keep developing during the Rockies’ rebuild. It is very exciting for a position group that was in as bad a place as ever just a couple of seasons ago. It was often easy to wonder if the Rockies would ever field a competitive bullpen. Heading into next season, they are as close as they have ever been to doing just that.