Wednesday Rockpile: In a tough NL West, the Rockies can’t keep playing the same game in 2025 and beyond

Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Welcome to 2025 my friends, we are about 40 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and welcoming the start of a new season. The offseason has been a flurry of activity with stunning moves, big deals and plenty of other questions heading into the next season.

The National League West has been at the forefront of the offseason conversation, thanks largely in part to the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ continual stockpiling of top talent. Yet, significant moves have occurred in both San Francisco and Arizona as they join San Diego in the pursuit of keeping pace with the Dodgers.

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince wrote:

“The National League West is proof that, for all the external chatter about how “bad for baseball” it must be that the reigning World Series champion Dodgers keep stocking up on top talent, there is tremendous entertainment value when other clubs embrace the challenge of a raised bar.”

“It’s nice to see that a frustrating, mathematically maddening end to 2024 didn’t dissuade the D-backs from upping the ante again for ‘25. That’s ultimately what is required when trying to keep pace with the Dodgers. They might again be too deep and too resourceful to be caught in the West standings.

“But that might not stop the NL West from being the best division in baseball…”

Through his article, Castrovince discusses the Dodgers, the stunning signing of Corbin Burnes in Arizona, the Giants’ potential to return to relevance in 2025, and how the Padres’ past efforts to compete with the Dodgers have kept them a prevalent force despite some financial uncertainties behind the scenes this offseason.

The NL West is gearing up for a brutal fight as three teams try to take down the mighty Dodgers. However, one can’t help but notice that one team was left out of the NL West conversation in Castrovince’s article.

To the surprise of no one, the Colorado Rockies aren’t exactly expected to be relevant in any capacity in ‘25. They have become so irrelevant to the greater baseball world that their status has no impact on writers like Castrovince having the confidence to declare the NL West as the best division in baseball. After back-to-back 100-loss seasons amid six-straight losing seasons, the Rockies have done very little to sway anyone’s opinions of where they will end up in 2025 and beyond.

As their opponents look to add top-tier talent stars to support their lineups, the Rockies have again opted for low-risk stopgap contracts with the likes of Kyle Farmer and a reported deal with Thairo Estrada, hoping that they can regain some form, while retaining veteran catcher Jacob Stallings for another season. They also continue to pin their hopes on their current players just “playing better,” staying healthy and being the best they can be.

That mantra goes hand in hand with the team’s constant signaling that they have a great group of prospects on the way. To their credit, they do have a better farm system than they have had in years but it’s still unclear if or when they will arrive and how they will perform at the major league level. Despite their identifying as a “draft and develop” type of team, the Rockies haven’t gotten much production from their draft picks that have reached the majors in the past 10 years.

(Be on the lookout for articles from Evan Lang on that very subject in the near future)

Additionally, the Rockies are also choosing to hold onto the fleeting hope that Kris Bryant can still make good in the fourth year of his seven-year, $182 million contract where he has played in just 159 games due to chronic back issues. Surely this declining former MVP will overcome difficult injuries to rescue this team and help them compete with the insurmountable Dodgers as a 33-year-old right?

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

While teams like the Giants and Diamondbacks are switching things up to try and compete with the Dodgers, the Rockies are continuing to stay the course and trust their own process which clearly hasn’t worked.

The rest of the division has made concerted efforts to improve as a whole over the last few years. They have made big signings and big trades while also drafting and developing quality talent. In the urgency of the arms race in a tough division, any team with hopes of making the playoffs is attempting to play the game by the rules that the Dodgers have dictated. In doing so, each has positioned themselves as a decent Wild Card candidate, even if the division crown eludes them.

The Rockies, on the other hand, sit comfortably in the basement, refusing to play the game everyone else is. Like a toddler too upset that their friends are playing a game in a way that they don’t like, they instead sulk in the corner convincing themselves their way is certainly better and more fun.

If the Rockies ever hope to contend in 2025 and beyond, they have to start thinking differently as an organization. They can look at how their division opponents operate and start to pick and choose from the philosophical buffet before them. The times they have spent big over the years isn’t the problem, it’s the fact the money was not spent wisely on top talent. They can complain about the fact its hard to get free agents to come to Denver, but they haven’t exactly fostered the type of reputation that makes them a desirable location aside from overpaying by at least $50 million to lure them in.

Photo by Jessica Tobias/MLB Photos via Getty Images

All the tools to be a competitive team lay before the Rockies and 2025 needs to be the start of a process of being able to act and not just acted upon. They can stop playing the game of “wait and see” and rather play the proactive game of “seek and find.” In doing so, the Rockies can start being more urgent in their development and assessment of prospects, rather than sitting and waiting until they are absolutely perfect. The sooner you can determine a prospect isn’t the answer, the sooner you can move on and perhaps even seek out an established free agent that is worth your time and money.

The Rockies have no chance of winning the NL West any time soon. However, if they can make the effort to compete and play the game the rest of the division is playing, they will be better off in the coming seasons as they look to open that window of contention.

★ ★ ★

From all of us here at Purple Row, we wish you a Happy New Year 2025! Thank you for all your support. Be sure to check out our various recap-related articles from 2024 like our writer’s favorite articles, our most viewed articles, Renee Dechert’s memorable moments of 2024 and others. We’ll continue to work hard to bring you quality coverage of the Rockies in the coming season!

★ ★ ★

Coach Tulo: Rockies star Troy Tulowitzki took his baseball passion to Texas | The Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders caught up with Troy Tulowitzki, talking about how much he loves coaching college ball in Texas as a hitting coach, his mentality and his approach to the game and the article also includes quotes from current Rockies prospect Skyler Messinger who played under Tulo in college.

Determined Bryant ‘in a good place’ | MLB.com

Per reports from the Rockies, Bryant is feeling good and working hard at his offseason home to prepare for the 2025 season. It’s one thing to hope he can produce to the level they hope he can, it’s another if he can actually follow through and stay healthy.

★ ★ ★

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!