Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt spoke to reporters (including Kyle Newman of the Denver Post and Patrick Lyons of Just Baseball Media) at the “Rockies Fest” fan event this weekend, covering topics such as the lives of several notable Colorado players. Marquez from Germany was one of those players, as Schmidt said the right-hander has recovered from a right elbow strain that prematurely ended Marquez’s 2024 season.
Injuries have limited Marquez to five starts and 24 innings for the Rox over the past two seasons. A large part of this injury layoff came in the form of Tommy John rehab, after Marquez underwent the procedure in May 2023. He returned to the majors in July of last season, but Marquez’s comeback lasted just one game, and four innings. in Colorado’s 8-5 win over the Mets on July 14. Elbow inflammation immediately sent Marquez to the IL for 15 days after that one out, and a stress reaction was diagnosed soon after.
Marquez spent all nine of his Major League seasons with the Rockies, posting a 4.40 ERA over 996 innings from 2016-22. The Rockies agreed to Marquez’s tenacity and success at Coors Field with a five-year, $43MM contract extension in April 2019, with a $16MM club option for the 2024 campaign. The option didn’t end up working, as Marquez inked a new two-year, $20MM deal with Colorado in September 2023 that covers the 2024-25 seasons, and gave both sides more flexibility as Marquez recovers from his TJ surgery.
With the first season of that deal unfortunately going down as a wash, Marquez now faces even more pressure as an upcoming free agent. Marquez’s first priority is to get healthy and get back on the mound, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rockies make a move to lock him up for another extension if he plays well early in the season. Despite his long record in the majors, Marquez doesn’t turn 30 until next month.
Any kind of stability in the rotation is much needed in Denver, because of the poor air quality and because of how badly the Rox have been hit by pitching injuries the last few years. Marquez has been penciled into the lineup rotation as well Austin Gomber, Ryan Feltner, Kyle Freelandagain Antonio Senzatela (who also missed most of 2023-24 due to Tommy John rehab). Between this team and other Triple-A arms approaching their major league debuts, Schmidt hopes the Rockies have accumulated enough depth to withstand any other injuries or any struggles from regular starters.
Some padding may be on the way in the form of a reliever, as Schmidt indicated that the Rockies could still add to their bullpen before Spring Training. Diego Castillo, Jimmy Herget, Tommy Doyleagain Jake Woodford are among the experienced MLB pitchers brought into the organization via minor league deals or waiver claims, and it remains to be seen whether the Rockies’ exploration will lead to any guaranteed contracts for the bullpen’s relief.
Midfielders Thairo Estrada again Kyle Farmer they are the only players Rox has signed to guaranteed deals, both brought into the fold on one-year contracts. It’s not really surprising that a team coming off 204 losses over the past two seasons isn’t spending money badly, but the Rockies are continuing their unorthodox approach of not only completely rebuilding, but also clearly focusing on young talent.
Charlie Condon is one of those key buildings for the future, and Schmidt said the team hasn’t decided where Charlie Condon will play in the minor leagues next season. The third overall pick in the 2024 draft got off to an inauspicious start to his professional career by hitting just .180/.248/.270 over 109 plate appearances at high-A Spokane, but Schmidt said Condon was trying to play with an injured thumb that “he didn’t tell us” about.
These injuries could well explain those struggles, although it’s not uncommon for even rookies to experience growing pains in their first taste of professional baseball. Condon also entered his professional career on the heels of a 60-game stretch with Georgia in the 2024 NCAA season, with Condon crushing the college to the tune of a .433/.556/1.009 slash line and 37 homers over 304 PA. In the newly released top 100 rankings, MLB Pipeline rated Condon as the 29th best prospect in the sport, and Baseball America ranked him 42nd.
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