As the postseason continues for just four teams, the rest of the league has its eyes set on preparing for the 2025 season. This process focuses on shuffling the 40-man roster and the Colorado Rockies have begun the process for themselves.

On Friday the team announced that outfielder Jake Cave along with pitchers Dakota Hudson and Peter Lambert had cleared outright waivers and elected free agency instead of being assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

The Rockies announced today the following players have cleared outright waivers and elected free agency in lieu of an assignment to Triple-A:

– RHP Dakota Hudson
– RHP Peter Lambert
– OF Jake Cave

The Rockies have 38 players on the 40-man roster (plus two 60-day IL).

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) October 18, 2024

Cave, 32 in December, arrived via a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies late in spring training. The Rockies, desiring a left-handed fourth outfielder, liked the defensive versatility of Cave who they hoped could spot Brenton Doyle in center field as needed. Despite initially being brought in for that role, Cave managed to expand his presence with the Rockies as injuries and underperformance ravaged the Rockies outfield. Cave set a career-high in games played (123) while slashing .251/.290/.396 with a 75 wRC+. He was set to enter his final year of arbitration and was predicted to earn about $1.8 million.

Hudson, 30, seemed to be a perfect match for the Rockies after all his years as a groundball pitcher in St. Louis. He was signed to a modern $1.5 million contract by the Rockies and made the Opening Day starting rotation. There were some bright-spot performances, including a stellar outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Hudson still pitched to a 6.17 ERA, the worst mark of his career. While Hudson didn’t get much run support he didn’t help his own cause as he walked 50 batters against just 49 strikeouts in 89 innings of work. His 12.4% walk rate was the highest in a season since his rookie year. He was predicted to earn $2.3 million in his final year of arbitration.

Lambert, 27, was drafted in the second round by the Rockies back in 2015. Seen as a potential rotation staple, he made his big league debut with the team in 2019 but struggled to a 7.25 ERA in 19 starts. Injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2020 and right elbow inflammation in 2022, limited his playing time and his role with the team diminished as other players took his spot. He’s been mostly healthy the past two seasons but has struggled to find a place on the big league roster. He pitched mainly out of the bullpen in 2024 and did find some success as a long reliever, but in 28 appearances, including three starts, he posted a 5.72 ERA in 61 1/3 innings. While his $1.5 million projected salary isn’t much, he is out of minor league options and it would be tough for the Rockies to keep him on the roster in the future. He could still return on a minor league deal to serve as a depth piece for the Rockies.