Steven Okert managed to stand out while a part of the bullpen arsenal for the Houston Astros last season. He's a free agent now, which means the Colorado Rockies might look to him as an option.

Okert has some solid stuff and proved that he can work his pitches around the plate. That is something that is probably music to the Rockies and pitching coach Ethan Katz. 

Still, he is a free agent, meaning he's going to look for the best contract deal possible on the market. 

In 2026, Okert finished with a 6-2 record, a 2.13 ERA, 68 appearances, and 68 strikeouts. In looking at his career numbers, he's put together an overall 24-15 record backed by a 3.41 ERA. Okert has appeared in 408 career games, has two saves, and 405 career strikeouts.

Okert has a career WHIP of 1.095, according to his Baseball Reference profile.

He pitched his first three MLB seasons with the San Francisco Giants, followed by three seasons with the Miami Marlins, one with the Minnesota Twins, and two seasons with the Astros. He finished his one season with the Twins with a hefty 5.09 ERA, but he brought that down to 3.01 and 2.13 while in Houston.

Okert's best work came in his time with the Marlins and Astros. He was 11-8 in Miami with a 3.51 ERA, while Okert finished up in Houston at 9-4 with a 2.58 ERA.

Okert was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 43rd round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft when he was pitching for Grayson College in Texas. The Brewers then drafted him again in the 33rd round 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft, and the Giants did the same thing in the fourth round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Oklahoma.

He's a 35-year-old left-hander who brings plenty of experience in the major leagues wherever he lands. Again, the Rockies really could use him in their bullpen next season.

Okert has a four-pitch arsenal but really leans into his slider and four-seam fastball. He rarely uses his sinker and changeup, so don't expect to see Okert use those frequently. His four-seamer busted over the plate at 91.2 mph for the Astros in 2026, while his sinker, when used, averaged 90.4 mph.

In looking at his 2026 MLB Percentile Rankings from Baseball Savant, Okert popped up a lot in the great level. Among those rankings for him were pitching run value, breaking run value, xERA, xBA, whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, and walk percentage.

Imagine the Rockies, backed by their strong offense, having some starting pitchers able to work deep into a game. Okert gets the call from the bullpen and comes in for some shutdown innings. That's a recipe for victory, something that Colorado wants to happen a whole lot more next season.