3 free agents the Colorado Rockies should already be targeting

2) Left-handed starting pitcher José Quintana

The “strength” of the Rockies has been their rotation but they still have a lot of issues. There’s little depth there and they haven’t been good this year. Add in that Chad Kuhl is a free agent and Ryan Rolison will have pitched in 71.2 innings in the last three years with none coming in 2022 and the Rockies need to get some starting pitching. José Quintana would be a good addition.

Quintana, who turns 34 in January, has split the season between the Pirates and Cardinals and he has a 3.37 ERA in 22 starts. He also has a 124 ERA+, a 3.21 FIP, a 1.243 WHIP, and an average of 2.7 walks and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

From a Rockies perspective, that’s good but he has done it in a way that would be conducive for success at Coors Field. He has a very low fastball spin rate (lower than any of the Rockies starters this season, in fact) and a high groundball rate. His 45.3 percent groundball rate is tied for 30th among the 78 starters with at least 100 innings on the season thus far.

With his age, the Rockies should be able to get him on a one- or two-year deal, which would give them time for Rolison or others to develop. If the club isn’t in contention at the trade deadline next year or if the minor leaguers are ready, they could trade him and get some prospects from a contender.