How Much Can the Rockies Actually Spend This Offseason?

The Colorado Rockies. What a twisted mess. Asking how much this team can actually spend is a little bit like looking into a crystal ball. The answer is cloudy at best.

Coming into the 2026 offseason and headed toward the 2027 campaign, things are different. There is a whole new set of circumstances surrounding this team. How they fit into the puzzle of how much they can or will spend is another complicated issue.

The Penner Sports Group adds another layer to this team, but one that is very hard to decipher just yet.

Let’s do a quick overview. The Rockies left the field for the final time in 2026 with a dismal record of 58-104. Fans had to endure a fourth consecutive season of 100-plus losses.

That makes the reality pretty easy to state. There is plenty of work to be done by this team during the offseason. So much so, it’s hard to say even where to start. There are changes required across much of the roster.

The question of money makes it even more complicated.

The answer seems obvious on the surface, but the things surrounding this organization are rarely obvious.

Rockies Have Flexibility Entering 2027

According to the contracts in place, Colorado has about $48.9 million in guaranteed commitments coming into the 2027 season.

That is just guaranteed salaries and does not include arbitration agreements or filling the roster.

The worst contract in the history of the organization, and maybe even in all of baseball, takes the top spot with Kris Bryant earning $27 million annually and never stepping foot on the field.

Ezequiel Tovar and Mickey Moniak also have guaranteed salaries coming into 2027.

With those contracts in place, in contrast, there are several veteran contracts coming off the books, including Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana, and Tomoyuki Sugano.

When you look at this from a bird’s-eye view, this should give president of baseball operations, Paul DePodsta much more room to make significant moves than the team has had in years.

The key here is that none of this offers any guarantee that the organization and its ownership will actually spend. It’s important to note that, historically, the team and its ownership haven’t really provided any evidence of being willing, let alone making good decisions.

Hunter Goodman, Jake McCarthy, Ryan Feltner and many others are eligible for arbitration. Within this group, there should be significant raises and those will need to be accounted for before determining exactly how much money is actually available.

Penner Sports Group Could Change Outlook

One of the biggest stories coming from the Rockies in 2026 happened off the field. In April, Penner Sports Group, the ownership entity led by Greg and Carrie Penner, acquired a minority stake in the franchise.

For fans in Denver, this was encouraging as this is the investment group that is behind the Denver Broncos. For years, the fans have been begging for change and they may have gotten a small taste of that with this minority investment. But, it is still too early to say exactly how this will affect the team.

The Monfort family still remains the majority owner with Dick and Charlie Monfort still playing a role. At the beginning of 2026, Walker Monfort was elevated to a much more visible role with the team taking over much of the day-to-day from his father.

The Penners have extensive experience in investing in organizational infrastructure and forming leadership and long-term operations. If some of that knowledge can transfer over, it could help the Rockies in many areas.

There is, however, a big distinction between having ownership resources and actually spending more money for player payroll.

Rockies Need to Be Smarter

Bad investments and decision have consequences and unfortunately, the Rockies know this well.

Bryant’s seven-year, $182 million deal is the obvious example. Just because you have expensive contracts doesn’t mean you will get a return.

In 2026, Colorado, under the new leadership of DePodesta, took the approach of signing several one-year contracts to try to stabilize the pitching staff. Then they finished with the worst ERA in baseball.

DePodesta is going to be faced with one of the biggest challenges in baseball. He needs to allow room for the emerging young players to find a way up, but he also needs to spend enough to turn this ship around. That’s a balancing act of great proportions.

Hunter Goodman, TJ Rumfield, Jake McCarthy - all those names should spark some optimism that at least a part of their rebuild is working.

Starting pitching however remains at the forefront of the list of concerns.

The Rockies are going to have to find experienced arms that are capable of helping immediately. That’s something easier said than done. Try to convince a successful veteran pitcher to come to Colorado where the field is a mile high and is known to doom pitching squads.

For now, the most important financial question basically remains unanswered. The team has plenty of money coming off the books. On the positive side, they have new ownership resources and DePodesta should have a much broader understanding of what the organization needs.

On the flip side of all of this is the upcoming negotiations between the MLBPA and the owners. If a minimum salary is agreed upon, it could have a direct correlation to how much this team has to spend. Then there’s the cap and the floor....it’s all a moving target.

No one outside of the organization has any grip on how much ownership will actually let DePodesta spend, but the answer to this question could determine whether or not this team gets headed in the right direction any time soon.