LAS VEGAS — Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes said his team is “ready to be busy” in an offseason that is full of uncertainty.
As Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings got underway in earnest Tuesday at the Aria Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, this time together is a test for what kind of gambles baseball executives are willing to make ahead of a deadline that is shaping everything in the sport.
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Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expires Dec. 1, and what happens after that is a mystery. Owners seek a salary cap and floor, arguing that would bring payroll structure to a sport that has never had either. Players are pushing back, saying that would only drive down their salaries and not add parity.
With the back-and-forth happening behind the scenes, Byrnes and the other 29 MLB general managers are trying to conduct their business while rolling the dice on what the next CBA might bring to baseball.
“There are a lot of unknowns, but I think what we need to do and I think most teams and most agents believe, it seems like this month should be busy. So we’re ready to be busy,” Byrnes told The Denver Gazette in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “More (busy) than most Novembers, where it’s still a little bit of tire-kicking, I think now there will be more purposeful deal-making.
“I think that’s probably the first order of business with the lockout looming. I think this November will probably be busier.”
Colorado Rockies designated hitter Hunter Goodman (15) in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Byrnes admitted the uncertainty ahead with the CBA has made deals or signings this time more difficult than in a standard offseason.
“It makes it tough because you could argue on trades, if there are teams that need to offload contracts to now fit into a new system, they might not do that until or if, the rules change,” Byrnes said. “We have to know there are some unknowns out there and probably make deals that try to make sense regardless (of potential CBA changes).”
Those rules are also impacting what teams like the Rockies might do in terms of potential contract extensions. All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman becomes arbitration-eligible this offseason and could be a candidate for a contract extension if the Rockies want to circumvent arbitration and lock him in long-term. However, with the potential financial implications of the new CBA, it’s a layered thought process.
“In that scenario, we would probably want to know what the new rules are going to be,” Byrnes said.
Byrnes said the Rockies will likely be “aggressive” this offseason while rebuilding a rotation that has plenty of question marks heading into 2027. Colorado brought in three veteran free agents last season in Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano to mixed reviews.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano works against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/RJ Sangosti)
“I think we have to be pretty aggressive. It’s certainly a gaping hole right now in our team,” Byrnes said of the rotation. “However good we could have been last year, it (starting pitching) just killed us. Particularly at the end, we were behind in every game in the third inning.
“In order to improve that, I think it’s probably equal shopping in free agency and in trade scenarios. I think we have to be aggressive in both scenarios.”
Colorado finished 58-104, including a combined 15-33 in August and September, leaving the franchise with a foul taste in its mouth for how the campaign ended. Byrnes said the lessons learned throughout 2026, but especially at the end of the season, are shaping how the franchise attacks this offseason.
“When you lose 100 games again, there are bad optics associated with that,” Byrnes said. “From an offseason planning perspective, that was probably our true talent level so that’s still not nearly good enough. We have to work off of that.
“I think the only silver lining to the last two months is that it really bothered everybody that we were losing like that, because we had been more competitive before that. I think in some ways our roster was even better in August and September, and we still just weren’t winning at all. That left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth.”
Now Byrnes and Rockies executives are in Las Vegas looking to find the best way to add to the roster and begin turning around the franchise after four consecutive 100-loss seasons. Without knowing the rules that lie ahead, that’s a tricky task.
Byrnes said the Rockies are ready to be busy. The next three weeks will show whether the rest of baseball is ready to move with them before the CBA clock runs out.