Colorado Rockies: The battles that will loom for 2021 bullpen spots

What could the Colorado Rockies bullpen look like when the season opens against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 1? There are still plenty of questions surrounding it, despite the distinct possibility of no additional free agent pieces being added.

With the 26-man roster rule set for the 2021 season, along with the limitation that just 13 pitchers can be a part of that roster, the Rockies will have some interesting decisions to make when it comes to their bullpen.

Assuming that the Rockies will carry five starters (likely Ryan Castellani, Kyle Freeland, Jon Gray, German Marquez, and Antonio Senzatela), that leaves eight positions for the bullpen. Upon first glance, here are some of the leading candidates to take those eight spots.

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Right-handers: Yency Almonte, Daniel Bard, Jairo Diaz, Carlos Estevez, Mychal Givens, Tyler Kinley, Robert Stephenson, Scott Oberg, Jordan Sheffield

Left-hander: Phillip Diehl

If you count those names, those are 10 players for eight spots. Those names also don’t include Jose Mujica, Antonio Santos, and Tommy Doyle, all of whom spent time with the Rockies last season, or prospects like Ben Bowden.

For now, though, let’s look at the 10 players we’ve highlighted and some of the circumstances that could narrow the number of spots down quickly.