The early days of what very well may be an extended offseason due to an impending lockout in Major League Baseball have not produced a lot of movement yet.

But the days of free agency chaos are coming, and the Colorado Rockies must be ready.

The Rockies, who have suffered four consecutive 100-plus-loss seasons, have some promising talent on the roster. That could lend to successful baseball in the future, but the team is not currently where it needs to be in order to consistently win baseball games. 

The biggest issue Colorado is facing is its pitching.

Over the last two seasons, the Rockies' pitching staff has finished dead last among MLB's 30 teams in just about every metric. In 2026, they finished with a 5.59 ERA and the fewest strikeouts among any club (1,113).

This will be Colorado's second season with president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta at the helm, and he has plenty of work to do to address the egregious results coming from the pitcher's mound. Bringing in Ethan Katz was a start.

The good news for DePodesta and the front office is that there are plenty of free-agent pitchers hitting the market who will come at varying costs. It's not realistic to think the team would go after a superstar like Tarik Skubal, but perhaps a right-hander who last pitched for their division rival, the San Diego Padres, would be more realistic. 

That pitcher in question is right-hander Michael King. 

Recently, ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel put together contract projections for 50 free agents. King was listed ninth among the 50, and McDaniel projects he will receive a contract worth three years, $79.5 million, which comes to an Average Annual Value of $26.5 million. 

Last season, the Rockies' highest-paid starting pitcher was Kyle Freeland, who was on the payroll for $16 million. If Colorado chose to pursue King at the number projected by McDaniel, it would be shelling out $10 million more than it was paying Freeland. 

However, the price is worth it because King is better than any starter the Rockies had last season.

King made 32 starts for the Padres in 2026 and notched a 12-10 record with a 3.21 ERA over 185 innings pitched. He is not an ace, but over the course of his eight-year career, he has a 43-39 record with a 3.23 ERA. 

With the Rockies, King's role would not be better suited as a bulk-inning starter.

When digging deeper into King's metrics, it becomes even more evident how effective he can be. According to his Baseball Savant profile, King is in the 93rd percentile of pitching run value, the 89th percentile of breaking run value, and the 98th percentile of off-speed run value. 

His average exit velocity is also in the 86th percentile, while his hard-hit rate is in the 89th percentile.

King, 31, struggled with injuries in 2025 and in the seasons preceding it, but he was durable last season, which also makes paying him a more comfortable proposition.