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Veteran Pitcher Named Player Who Could Fix Rockies' Biggest Roster Hole

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 9:00 PM ET

What are the Colorado Rockies going to do this offseason?

That's the biggest question facing them as they try to figure out who is going to run the baseball operations department following the resignation of general manager Bill Schmidt. Because there isn't a person in charge, it's hard to predict how things are going to go this winter.

Things keep happening for the Rockies, though, as longtime employee Zack Rosenthal was the latest to announce his resignation from the organization. That sets the table for some major changes to take place, as Colorado tries to revamp things to get their franchise back on track.

Once the Rockies decide on who is going to run their front office, decisions will need to be made when it comes to potential roster upgrades so they can end the three straight 100-plus loss seasons that have occurred.

A clear area that needs to be improved is their starting rotation, which finished the year as one of the worst groups in major league history.

Aaron Civale Named Logical Fit for Rockies

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When it comes to upgrading the roster, it seems unlikely that owner Dick Monfort is going to spend the money that it takes to land a premier starting pitcher on the open market no matter who takes over the front office.

So if Colorado wants to bolster that unit, then they have to target some pitchers who can come in and be effective for a low cost. Someone who Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report thinks would fit that category for the Rockies is Aaron Civale.

"As always, the hurdle for the Rockies is convincing any worthwhile starting pitcher to choose to pitch his home games at Coors Field ... That will likely mean bargain-hunting for someone who can eat up innings and take some pressure off their young arms," he wrote.

While Civale isn't a great pitcher with a career ERA of 4.14 and an ERA+ of 101 across 140 appearances (135 starts), what he does do well is keep the ball on the ground with a ground ball rate that's three percentage points below the major league average.

When pitching at a place like Coors Field, that's important. And despite the fact that some of the past fliers this organization has taken on starting pitchers hasn't paid off, Civale could be a good depth piece for them in the rotation as the younger arms like Chase Dollander and McCade Brown come along.