If you take a look at the NL West standings, for the most part, the results look positive. There are three teams at least seven games above .500, and the team in 4th, the Arizona Diamondbacks, always gets it going in the second half. The thing is, if you look a little farther down, you find the lowly Colorado Rockies. The Rockies, as of Monday, June 2nd, are 9-50. They’re by far the worst team in baseball and are currently on pace to be worse than the 2024 White Sox to become the worst team of all time. This begs some questions, especially given the way the Rox have been run. Unlike the White Sox, which was clearly just a failed rebuild, it seems like the Rockies have been tanking for about seven years. The big culprit of this is Dick Monfort, Colorado’s owner. Colorado’s front office is notorious for doing literally nothing at the trade deadline every year.
It’s noticeable this year in particular. After not shipping off the heavily sought-after Ryan McMahon and at least getting some value out of it, the Rox got nothing for the 2024 All-Star. Now, McMahon is hitting .207 with an OPS+ about 20 percent below league average, no doubt contributing to this big slide. One of the most notable failures contributing to this disaster was the signing of former MVP Kris Bryant in 2021. Bryant had been solid ever since his 2016 MVP campaign. He wasn’t a world beater, but he was a quality player who could work just about anywhere in the field. The result wasn’t even really Colorado’s fault, as Bryant just could not stay healthy. In his four years since inking his deal with the Rox, Bryant has played just 170 games, including just 48 in the last two years. For once, it’s hard to blame management for this. Bryant was a quality player whose swing should’ve played well in the high altitude in Denver, but he just couldn’t stay on the field. With three years to go in his deal, the Rockies are stuck with the injury-prone former MVP for a little bit longer.
Their pitching has been particularly terrible, with veteran Antonio Senzatela leading the charge. Senzatela is 1-10 with an ERA over 7, having just as many pitching losses as the Rockies have wins in ’25. Opening day starter Kyle Freeland is 0-8, and Rockies all-time strikeout leader German Marquez is 2-7 with a 6.98 ERA. There are at least a couple of notable bullpen arms. Rookie Zach Agnos has a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings, and Jake Bird has been just as good with a bigger sample size, as he sports a 1.56 ERA in 34 innings of work. Bird would be an absolute steal for a contender at the deadline, and the Rockies would be wise to trade him. Unfortunately, the word wise isn’t in Colorado’s vocabulary.
The Rockies’ struggle has sparked some questions lately, especially given the division they play in. Whispers of a salary floor have intensified, given the large gap in strength between the top four teams and the 5th in the NL West. The question of whether to force a little more balance between the two teams has a simple answer: No. This isn’t an issue of spending. The Rockies are spending $180 million on Bryant, another $65 million on Freeland, and $70 million on McMahon, all of whom haven’t contributed this year. Colorado’s failures aren’t a result of a lack of trying, although it is clear they are in the midst of a rebuild, but rather investing in the wrong guys. Colorado has put their faith and removed their faith in the wrong people since trading franchise cornerstone Nolan Arenado before the 2020 season. A change in leadership would benefit them much more than a change in the rules to help them out. They’ve already fired scapegoat manager Bud Black, but a change up top is necessary for the team to compete.
