Rockies keep spending money, give pitcher Kyle Freeland a huge extension

The spending spree for the Colorado Rockies continues.

The team recently gave former NL MVP Kris Bryant $182M, third baseman Ryan McMahon $70M and now they’re paying hometown kid and Thomas Jefferson graduate Kyle Freeland big money.

Left-hander Kyle Freeland and the Colorado Rockies are in agreement on a five-year, $64.5 million contract that includes a sixth-year player option, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN. Freeland, a homegrown player and Denver native, is staying home through at least 2026.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 19, 2022

Freeland was phenomenal for the Rockies in 2018, going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting. His numbers have taken a turn since then, as Freeland is just 12-24 since 2019 with ERAs of 6.73, 4.33 and 4.33 the last three seasons, respectively. He’s off to an 0-2 start with a 10.00 ERA in 2022 and scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday night against the Phillies.

Still, the Rockies seemingly believe in Freeland enough to suspect a turnaround this year and moving forward. As Jeff Passan’s tweet says above, Freeland is now staying in Denver through at least 2026. He joins German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela as Rockies starting pitchers to sign big deals the last several seasons.

Colorado is currently off to a fast start at 7-3 on the year, with Freeland on the bump for two of the three losses so far.
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