Five of the nine players who were in Colorado’s 2025 Opening Day lineup will not be on the Rockies’ active roster when they begin the 2026 season March 27 in Miami.

Change was demanded after the Rockies finished with a franchise-record 119 losses in 2025, and the makeup of this season’s roster is a sign of how business is different at 20^th and Blake than it was one year ago.

And it’s not just the names on the roster that are different. It’s also the attitudes being brought into the 2026 season after a year in which Colorado set an MLB record by being outscored by 424 runs.

“Last year, we had a super young team, me included,” said catcher Hunter Goodman, one of the 2025 Opening Day starters who should begin the season behind the dish in 2026. “I think we had a lot of people (who) were just happy to be here.

“When I first got called up, I was just happy to be here. And you can’t play like that. You’ve got to walk on the field and be like, ‘We’re the best team. I’m the best player on the field.’ You’ve got to walk on the field with a different level of confidence.”

Youth was certainly served last year, with the Rockies ending the season with an average age of 26.0 on the active roster, the youngest active roster of any MLB team. A total of 18 Rockies age 24 or younger appeared in a game in 2025, the most in franchise history.

This season, however, a flurry of offseason moves has made the Rockies more experienced. Nowhere is that experience more apparent than in the rotation in which Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano were inked to free-agent deals this offseason to not only eat innings, but also allow younger Rockies pitchers who were thrust into the spotlight last season more time to hone their skills in the minor leagues.

Lorenzen is the youngest of the new starting trio at age 34 and will likely slot in near the top of the rotation behind Kyle Freeland, who could make his fifth Opening Day start.

So what could this year’s Opening Day roster look like? Here’s a prediction, a little less than one month before the opener in Miami.

Rotation (5)

Ryan Feltner, Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano

The battle for the fifth starter spot is going to be one of the most interesting ones of March camp. Feltner is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he made just six starts, while Chase Dollander returns after posting a 6.52 ERA in 21 starts during his rookie campaign.

Feltner could have the edge in the battle, which would force Dollander to start the season at Triple-A. However, whoever wins the fifth starter competition, expect there to be plenty of opportunities in the rotation this season as Colorado has used 12 starters in two consecutive campaigns.

Bullpen (8)

Brennan Bernardino, Seth Halvorsen, Jimmy Herget, Juan Mejia, RJ Petit, Antonio Senzatela, Keegan Thompson, Victor Vodnik

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer believes that his relievers are one of the strengths of the team, and this year’s bullpen is a mix of new faces (Bernardino, Petit, Thompson) and familiar names.

Senzatela will likely serve as the long reliever, but Thompson and Herget can go multiple innings as well. Halvorsen and Vodnik will continue to battle this spring for the closer role after finishing as the only two Rockies with double-digit saves last year (Halvorsen had 11 while Vodnik had 10).

Catchers (2)

Braxton Fulford, Hunter Goodman

Goodman won the Silver Slugger last year and was the team’s All-Star representative. He will look to build upon a solid season while Fulford is a more-than-capable backup, allowing Schaeffer to move Goodman to DH if he wants to keep his bat in the lineup.

Infielders (4)

Willi Castro, Edouard Julien, Ezequiel Tovar, TJ Rumfield

Castro was an All-Star with the Minnesota Twins in 2024 and will move all over the diamond this season in Colorado. Rumfield, acquired from the New York Yankees in a January trade, has impressed early in camp and could provide answers at first base this season.

Outfielders (4)

Jordan Beck, Brenton Doyle, Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak

Schaeffer has called McCarthy a “dynamic player” and picking him up in a January trade with Arizona gives the Rockies speedy options in the outfield.

Infielders/Outfielders (3)

Tyler Freeman, Troy Johnston, Ryan Ritter

Johnston registered 112 at-bats with Miami last season while playing first base and in the outfield. Ritter has been playing outfield this spring, adding to the middle infield options he provided for Colorado last season.

Projected Opening Day batting order vs. Miami RHP Sandy Alcantara

Tyler Freeman, 2B ( R )

Mickey Moniak, DH (L)

Ezequiel Tovar, SS ( R )

Hunter Goodman, C ( R )

Jordan Beck, RF ( R )

Jake McCarthy, LF (L)

Brenton Doyle, CF ( R )

TJ Rumfield, 1B (L)

Willi Castro, 3B (S)