Rockies Sign Homegrown Pitcher To Huge Extension

Pitching in the thin air of Coors Field is never easy for any pitcher, but perhaps if anyone can figure it out, it could be a Denver native. The Colorado Rockies are hoping that's the case, as they've signed left-hander Kyle Freeland to a 5-year, $64.5M extension.

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

The contract includes a player option in the 6th year, but either way, the hometown kid will be staying in Denver until at least 2026, as noted by NBA Insider Jeff Passan.

Freeland was selected by the Rockies as the 8th overall pick in the 2014 June Amateur Draft. He made his debut in the big leagues at the age of 23 in 2017. He showed his capacity to pitch in altitude when, in his 2nd season, he started 33 games for Colorado and posted a 17-7 record, a sparkling 2.85 ERA and finished 4th in Cy Young Award voting.

His follow-up act was a bit more difficult, as he struggled to a 3-11 record in 2019, with a 6.73 ERA. He's settled in to a more reasonable Coors Field pitching line since then, and overall, sports a 4.28 career ERA.

The 29-year-old Freeland has had a rough start to the season in 2022, surrendering 10 earned runs in 9 innings in his two starts, but perhaps the knowledge that he's staying home for a long while will help him settle in as the ace once again in Colorado.

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