Daniel Descalso. Nick Hundley. Kyle Kendrick. The Rockies signed those players this offseason. Yeah, that’s going to scare the Giants, Dodgers and Padres in 2015. So much for making this team better.
Rockies fans knew this was business as usual for the Rockies. This joke of a ballclub has made no attempt to improve the last few years, so they accepted this year to be no different. That’s a poor message to send to the fanbase.
It was hard to think there was going to be changes. Not when they promoted Jeff Bridich as the general manager in October. The same guy who was part of a horrible staff that was assembled by disgraced Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd.
The Rockies were better off keeping O’Dowd and his dummy assistant Bill Geivett than promote the club’s senior director of player development. One has to wonder if O’Dowd and Geivett left on their own volition rather than deal with the losing anymore. It’s hard to think Monfort fired them since he liked the job they have done.
Promoting Bridich took the optimism away about what the Rockies will do. O’Dowd and Geivett haven’t been proactive in improving the team for years, so it’s hard to think the new Rockies general manager was going to be different.
We get it that the Rockies were not going to throw money away to free agents. Rockies owner Dick Monfort vowed not to build through free agency after the team had buyer’s remorse in overpaying Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle in 2000. That’s understandable.
Still, they should have made trades to improve the club. No one is untouchable after three lousy seasons. They should have traded anyone that is playing on their Major League roster.
It’s hard to believe the Rockies have guys that have no value. They always have one of the best lineups in baseball. They can hit. They could have traded their hitters to get pitchers.
The Rockies decided to hold on to their players. They traded Dexter Fowler last year because they looked at him as a malcontent that was mouthing off. This is a team that would trade their guys only if they don’t fit their Christian mantra of being nice guys. Whatever.
They should have traded Carlos Gonzalez or Troy Tulowitzki. They did not seem to make the effort to trade them. They still believe they can win with both of them despite them having injuries the last few years. Their two stars don’t have much value to the team since they are injury-prone.
Monfort believes in them for only reasons he knows. One would think he would like to get either of their payrolls out of his roster since either provides no value.
The thought process is Monfort wants his stars to provide a show for visitors that go to Coors Field this summer. He needs star power, and Gonzalez and Tulowitzki provide that. Fans are not going to come if the Rockies don’t have them. That’s why they are here.
It’s a foolish way to build a club. The Rockies needed to trade them, so that they can get players to build around them for the next few years. Their run is over with their star players. It’s not going to work out since they haven’t won with them for awhile. This is as good as it’s going to get for the Rockies.
The Rockies needed to show fans things were going to be different. They had to show it’s not more of the same anymore. Instead, they stand pat and do nothing. It’s been their mantra.
It’s hard to be optimistic this season or the next few years. There’s no hope for this franchise. This is a team that will win 74 games at least. The starting pitching will be okay, but the bullpen still stinks. As great as the Rockies are at hitting, they can’t hit on the road and they will go through slumps at home. They can’t rely on hitting to win games. It’s not the Blake Street Bombers of the 90s anymore.
It won’t be long until Tulowitzki and Gonzalez are hurt this year, too. Their history speaks for itself.
The Rockies did nothing to improve.
The fans accepted it. They will still go to Coors Field since it’s a cool thing to do in the summer. They will watch because it’s entertainment. They won’t get worked up with the losses since they know the franchise will never win under Monfort.
It’s sad the Rockies are not making an attempt to improve. They have accepted losing. It’s hard to tolerate this, but more power to the fans if it’s what they like.
It’s tough for this writer to watch and write when it comes to baseball.
It has to be tough for the players knowing they have no shot to win this year.
It’s been three years of bad baseball, and there’s no hope whatsoever.
What a depressing franchise the Rockies are.
Follow or Contact Leslie Monteiro: @LightRodWriter
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Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
