#starting-rotation

#starting-rotation

The Rockies are looking for a few veterans to eat innings in their rotation, general manager Josh Byrnes tells Thomas Harding of MLB.com. "We've played out scenarios where we would attempt to bring in two guys who can stabilize that area - who can not only pitch well but know how to give us some bulk innings, which any team needs," Byrnes said.

Amongst the Mets' lengthy to-do list this winter is to address a starting rotation that needs a significant overhaul after last season's collapse. So anything linking former Houston Astros ace and free agent Framber Valdez to Queens would be understandable. According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, the Mets are trying to get a six-year, $200 million deal over the finish line for the veteran right-hander, who is coming off a down year in which he went 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA.

The Halos were known to be seeking at least two starting pitchers this winter, and while Rodriguez technically counts toward that end, he's coming off a season lost to injury and hasn't pitched in a big league game since July 2024. He's said to be healthy now, but even if that's the case, the Angels can't simply pencil him in for 30 starts next year.

Urquidy was recovering from the second Tommy John surgery of his career when Detroit signed him to a $1MM deal last March. They knew he'd miss almost all of the 2025 campaign. They guaranteed him a little more than the league minimum for his rehab year while tacking on the club option to provide a potential source of cheap innings in 2026. The move also reunited Urquidy with A.J. Hinch, his former manager in Houston.

Blake Snell faltered in Game 1, exposing the Dodgers' vulnerable bullpen, which allowed nine runs in a single inning. The Dodgers' World Series hopes rest entirely on their elite rotation because their bullpen cannot survive even one mediocre start by any of their starters. Future starts by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani must reach deep into games to shield a bullpen the team knew was their greatest weakness.

The rotation was a natural point of focus, with Elias saying the club wants to add a starter to the front half of its rotation, which could be either a #1, a #2 or a #3. Such distinctions are fairly subjective but the point would be to have another guy capable of slotting in next to Kyle Bradish and Tyler Rogers somewhere in the front half of the rotation.