Following a fourth straight season with more than 100 losses, the Colorado Rockies are in no position to rest on any laurels that could be taken from some of the small improvements they demonstrated in 2026. 

Make no mistake, this is still the worst team in Major League Baseball, but it seems like a blueprint may be forming for a better future. It is on president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and his front office staff to ensure that the Rockies can begin trending upward meaningfully. 

The biggest weakness Colorado needs to focus on right now is its pitching. But what if the organization took a flyer on a veteran left fielder who was a top home run hitter in the sport not all that long ago? 

What if the Rockies signed Taylor Ward?

In 2025, Ward was in what would be his final season with the Los Angeles Angels, and he used his bat to make an imprint. 

Ward crushed 36 home runs over 157 games, which was 11 more than the 25 homers he hit in 2024, which at the time was a career high for him. Like Colorado, Los Angeles was in no position to contend, but it did not stop Ward from finishing top 10 in homers in 2025.

However, the 2026 season introduced a massive decline for Ward after he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles last November. Over the course of 111 games with Baltimore, Ward's power disappeared as he hit just seven home runs. 

He was able to improve other metrics, such as his batting average (.246) and his on-base percentage (.383), from what they were in 2025, but his slugging percentage fell to .346 and his OPS fell from .792 to .729.

Baltimore decided that Ward was no longer needed, and he was traded to the Seattle Mariners during the Aug. 3 MLB Trade Deadline. Ward struggled even more with Seattle over the course of 32 games as his batting average plummeted to .125. 

His OPS also fell to an abysmal .386 mark, and he did not hit any home runs.

Given his recent struggles, Rockies fans might ask what the point of signing Ward would be. 

Recently, Jim Bowden of The Athletic constructed a list of the top 40 free agents for 2026-27. In that list, he provided a contract projection for each player and listed the teams that they would best fit. 

In Bowden's view, Ward would fit with the Rockies on a one-year, $10 million deal.

Colorado is not among the top-spending organizations, but it's not as if this deal would break the bank. Ward will be 33 in December, so a short-term deal is best. 

If he can recapture what made him such a dominant force in terms of power at the plate in the 2025 season, then the Rockies will be adding an experienced veteran hitter to a promising young offense at a low price point.