With World Series done, big offseason for Colorado Rockies begins

When Freddie Freeman jumped off the first base bag after receiving the throw that would account for the last out of the 2021 World Series, the Colorado Rockies and the rest of Major League Baseball were officially on the clock for 2022.

Now begins a critical offseason for the Colorado Rockies

As our own Noah Yingling detailed in this article, there are plenty of important dates for the Rockies coming up within the next week. That includes Sunday, November 7, which is the deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers to eligible free agents. It’s certainly expected that the Rockies will do that with shortstop Trevor Story and it seems likely they will do the same with starting pitcher Jon Gray after what have been reported to be unsuccessful attempts to reach a deal with him.

Players have until November 17 to accept or reject the qualifying offer.

Once the World Series ends, over the next five days, teams will also decide what to do regarding club options and players can decide whether to enact or reject options for the 2022 campaign. That includes Charlie Blackmon, who is expected to return to Colorado for his 12th season in a Rockies uniform. Coming off a four-year, $77 million deal, Blackmon is expected to enable his $21 million deal for 2022, making him the highest-paid member of the team heading into the heart of the offseason.

The Rockies will also likely decline the $15 million club option on Ian Desmond, opting for the $2 million buyout.

While Desmond and Blackmon may seem to be sure bets, what happens with Gray and Story will be much more interesting to watch. Either could, in theory, accept the qualifying offer. However, both are expected to test free agency before that were to happen.

And what will impact will an looming potential work stoppage have on any kind of trades or free agent signings? Will we have any kind of idea for exactly how aggressive the Rockies will or won’t be until new general manager Bill Schmidt before the December 1 deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement to be put into place? Many expect it to be a quiet November in terms of player movement, waiting to see what happens with the CBA.

Also, will there be a designated hitter in place for 2022, shifting some of the signing opportunities for the Colorado Rockies to players like a Nelson Cruz, who was a part of our recent dream Opening Day lineup.

We know that Colorado needs to be improve its bullpen and offensive production, particularly in the outfield. How aggressive will they be in that pursuit and when will it begin? The clock is already ticking on those answers.