Monday Rockpile: Will the Rockies be contenders like they claim in 2025?

Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, October 21st, 2024

When the Colorado Rockies limped to the finish line of their 2024 campaign with yet another losing season—their sixth in a row—and their second 100-or-more-loss season in franchise history at 101-61, fans heard more of the same from their long beleaguered franchise.

In an unsurprising lack of accountability, the team laid the blame at the feet of their players with the oft-repeated “they just need to play better” mantra we’ve grown accustomed to. Both general manager Bill Schmidt and manager Bud Black pointed the finger at the roster for the Rockies’ poor offensive showing and terrible strikeout woes.

“We just have a group of guys now (where strikeouts) are more accepted,” Schmidt told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “But I don’t accept it. Our coaches don’t accept it. Our guys just have to do a better job of putting the ball in play going forward.”

“What has to happen is that each player has to incrementally improve,” Black told Saunders earlier this week. “There is an old saying that I use often: ‘The individual commitment to the team effort is what has to be paramount.’”

“If every player commits, then you have a pretty big change. That’s the mental side of it. Then we can go about making physical changes with their approach.”

At the same time, both Schmidt and Black were optimistic that the Rockies would be better, potentially even competitive in 2025.

“Our talent base is getting better,” Schmidt said at the end of the season. “Our depth is getting better. I’m not going to say we’re going from this year to win 95 next year. Our record this year might be similar (to 2023), but we’re going to be a better club.”

Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers both made the playoffs this season with winning campaigns after several seasons—including of the 100-loss variety—of losing. When offered this example, Bud Black said he thought the Rockies might be capable of doing the same.

“Kansas City? Detroit? Anything is possible. When I got here in ’17 … what happened in ’16 And then we made the playoffs. I’m going to say yes. I’m optimistic.”

Despite the Rockies stating they aim to be competitive in 2025, there isn’t any evidence to support their claim. Moreover, it simply isn’t helpful to pay lip service to the idea for a fanbase that is frustrated at best and apathetic at worst.

Facing the facts, there is little chance this team will be competitive in 2025.

The Rockies started the off-season by extending embattled skipper Bud Black for his ninth season in Colorado. Black is the longest tenured manager in franchise history and owns the team record for both wins and losses at the helm. While Black is still well-liked in the clubhouse, there were some players calling for a new voice to lead an increasingly younger team. The move was also poorly received by parts of the Rockies fanbase.

Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images

Although from the Rockies’ perspective they—and Black—feel they are on the right path, it is difficult to view the situation in the same way as a fan. After six consecutive losing seasons—two of which were back-to-back years of 100 or more losses—retaining the services of Black seems less of a push to compete and more as a stopgap for a team that will once again be bad.

The Rockies have also yet to fully commit to what needs to be done: a full rebuild. The team often calls what they are doing a “restructuring” or a “construction project” instead. They believe they can roll forward largely unchanged into 2025, add a “veteran that can provide quality at-bats” and a veteran presence in the bullpen, and hang tough in one of the strongest divisions in baseball.

However, the moves the Rockies have made so far this off-season reflect a different reality.

Earlier this week the Rockies announced that pitchers Dakota Hudson and Peter Lambert, as well as outfielder Jake Cave, would not be returning to the Rockies in 2025. None of the three had particularly great seasons in 2024, but they were also due a not insignificant amount of projected money in 2025 via arbitration.

Then Patrick Saunders forecasted on Saturday that the Rockies would also be looking to offload Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, and Brendan Rodgers this offseason as the organization looks to slash payroll going into 2025. All three players are going into their final years of arbitration and are projected by MLB Trade Rumors to have significant salaries.

If the team actually acknowledged that they were rebuilding, this would make sense. The bulk of the roster in 2025 will be young players on cheap deals. Even though over $13 million is coming off the books with the retirement of Charlie Blackmon, the Rockies are still hamstrung by multiple unwise contracts.

Kris Bryant is due $27 million next season at age 33 even though he’s yet to play a full season’s worth of games in the three years he’s been in Colorado. Kyle Freeland will be paid $16 million, and both Ryan McMahon and Antonio Senzatela will be earning $12 million each in 2025.

The Rockies also no longer have a lucrative TV broadcasting deal to bolster their coffers with the death of AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain following the 2023 season and Major League Baseball taking over for broadcasting beginning last March.

This then raises the question of where the money for a quality veteran hitter and/or bullpen piece is going to come from. A slashed payroll and a desire to be thrifty narrows their options even further.

We know from experience that the Rockies won’t be in on any of the big name free agents—despite the fact that Juan Soto would both excite the fanbase and deliver exactly what the Rockies want in terms of a Coors Field Hitter with a high on-base percentage and the ability to launch a baseball into space. Even if the Rockies had the money for Soto, it’s doubtful the four-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger would be interested in bringing his services to the Mile High City. The team’s reputation and lack of success makes it an unappealing destination for superstar talent.

Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/MLB Photos via Getty Images

None of what the Rockies have done or aim to do this off-season are the moves of a team that will be competitive either next season or perhaps even further in the foreseeable future.

The Rockies may not want to discourage their fans by actually declaring a rebuild is in progress. However, it would be better for both the health of the franchise—and the frustrated psyches of the fans—to be transparent and finally admit that this team simply won’t be competitive next season. If they did that, we would at least know that there’s some kind of a vision in place for the future rather than the endless wheel spinning on display since the end of the 2018 season.

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Arizona Fall League

Salt River Rafters 4, Scottsdale Scorpions 2

The rafters capped off their weekend with a win over the Scorpions, but just two Rockies position players were in the lineup. Juan Guerrero went hitless while Skyler Messinger went 1-for-4. On the bump, McCade Brown was credited with his second blown save of the Fall League. He gave up two earned runs on one hit and three walks while striking out three batters. Evan Justice had another scoreless outing, pitching a single clean frame with one strikeout.

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Rockies’ Bud Black on returning: Want to be part of the solution | Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post recently spoke to Bud Black about his return to the organization for a ninth season. Black expresses confidence that the pitching will be better next year thanks to a younger bullpen and a very experienced rotation. He also put the impetus on the hitters to stop striking out so much.

Rockies to Lower Payroll in 2025 | MLB Trade Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors breaks down a potential Rockies off-season with the news that the Rockies will be looking to sell assets in order to reduce payroll. With the potential trades of Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, and Brendan Rodgers, the Rockies could see a payroll below $130 million next year.

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