The Rockies’ clubhouse at the end of last season was a somber affair.

The players weren’t upset about missing the playoffs for a third straight season — they had already come to terms with that. Instead, they were saying goodbye to yet another star, knowing that Trevor Story was not going to return.

When Jon Gray signed with the Rangers at the start of the offseason, it seemed as though the Rockies were relegating themselves to anther losing season — they are not a team that typically spends big money. They entered the lockout with no players who weren’t on their team when the season ended, but with a few — Antonio Senzatela, CJ Cron and Elias Díaz, now sporting long-term contracts.

And then, the tides started to change.

Their first post-lockout move was a minor league free agent signing. They signed shortstop José Iglesias and veteran reliever Alex Colomé within a few hours of each other. A few days later came Chad Kuhl, completing their rotation.

Then came the bang — a $182 million thud to be exact. They shelled out big bucks for Kris Bryant, their largest free-agent signing in team history. They talked the talk all offseason about wanting a power hitter. Now, for a change, they were showing that they are trying to win. From the outside, it was shocking. Even Rockies veteran Charlie Blackmon remarked that it was an uncharacteristic move.

“So many things make this feel really, really, right,” owner Dick Monfort said during Bryant’s introduction news conference. “We’re extremely exited to have Kris with us for the next seven years to help us win that elusive World Series that we are all looking for.”

The Rockies didn’t stop there. They granted Ryan McMahon a six-year extension and traded Raimel Tapia to Toronto for power-hitter Randal Grichuk. At least four players who will regularly see playing time will be new to the clubhouse this season. Four others are locked up for multiple years.

“We want to lay the foundation of who’s moving forward with us,” general manager Bill Schmidt, entering his first full season in the role, said. “We don’t have all we need here yet, but we have quality pieces here.”

So what now?

They aren’t a World Series contender on paper, and likely won’t contend for a  playoff spot in the NL West. But a year ago the story of the Rockies was focused on the lopsided Nolan Areando trade, which sent their third baseman and $50 million to St. Louis two years after giving him an eight-year, $260 million extension. Now, it’s about Bryant, their new $100-million-dollar man.

“Our outlook changes,” Blackmon said. “You add a good player and you commit to him like that, that’s not something you do on a loser. Why would you do that? It looks like a move that can get you over the hump, that can get you to being competitive.”

Now comes the challenging part. The team’s core rotation — Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber — are signed through the 2023 season. Their window of contention is open for as long as they have these names under contract — realistically, the Rockies next generation of starters are a few years away from the big leagues, and the team has never been successful at getting big-name pitchers to come to Denver.

So, they’ve got their rotation. They have their young stars, with Brendan Rodgers primed for a breakout year. And they have their acquisitions. Now, it’s time to see if they can put all the pieces together.