Rockies Mailbag: Will owner Dick Monfort shake up the front office?
Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag. Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
With manager Bud Black and bench coach Mike Redman fired on Sunday, disgruntled Rockies fans naturally wonder if other changes are coming. That’s the common thread in this week’s mailbag.
I’ve been hearing rumblings about (owner) Dick Monfort finally bringing in an actual president of baseball operations. How true is this? Also, what’s your early prediction on who the next manager for the Rox will be?
— Nick, Colorado Springs
Nick, I have not heard those rumblings, but perhaps Monfort will actually do that. I’ve said for a long time that the Rockies need to hire a president from outside the organization. I don’t know if that will happen, but there are hints that major changes are coming.
Monfort said in his prepared statement regarding manager Bud Black’s firing: “We will use the remainder of 2025 to improve where we can on the field and to evaluate all areas of our operation so we can properly turn the page into the next chapter of Rockies Baseball.”
The part that sticks out to me is, “evaluate all areas of our operation.” We’ll see what happens.
As for the next manager, I will pass on projecting. I’d just be making guesses at this point, though I’m sure interim manager Warren Schaeffer will get a chance to prove himself.
Will the Rockies ever put a successful product on the field again and play meaningful games in September under current ownership?
— Chris Vines, Chadron, Neb.
Chad, I’m sure they will, though maybe not before I retire.
For teams like the Rockies and Royals, winning seasons tend to be cyclical. So yes, even if Rockies ownership remains the same, they’ll at least play meaningful games in September within your lifetime. Remember, if a team plays .500 baseball, a chance to make the playoffs is usually in the cards, hence meaningful baseball in September. However, making noise in September and making a serious run at the World Series in October is another question.
I actually thought 2026 might be Colorado’s turnaround season, but that doesn’t seem possible now.
Is there any chance that Dick Monfort will sell the team to an owner with some baseball savvy and a desire to meet his obligation to give the fans something of which to be proud? We are no longer a small market. Please, Mr. Monfort, do whatever it takes to become a contender again. Sell the team to someone who cares.
— Ken Straub, Denver
Ken, for the gazillionth time in this mailbag, I’ll say that Monfort will not sell the Rockies. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if he steps away from his ownership duties in the next couple of years and hands the reins over to his sons, Walker and Sterling.
It’s clear the owner is the problem. Does Dick Monfort even care about winning? Seems content on making 20th and Blake the best sports bar and trotting out the same players that we have been waiting for to develop.
— Freddy Perez, Thornton
I believe Monfort cares about winning. He wouldn’t have shelled out a seven-year, $182 million contract to Kris Bryant if he didn’t care. The primary question is: How much does Monfort care about winning? He’s a business owner, first and foremost, and he won’t throw dollars around like some other owners.
But I do hope he opens his checkbook to beef up the analytics department and hire a dynamic team president. If the Rockies become competitive again, I would hope he’d be willing to spend money to make the team a true contender.
Tom Verducci said the Rockies are stale, stagnant, and need change, along with a new way of thinking. But nothing changes, it never does. I agree with Verducci. Do you think these current firings are just another way that Dick Monfort is placating fans or do you think meaningful change is coming? And if so, what would be the biggest change?
— DenverKari, Littleton
DenverKari, Verducci is an astute, well-connected baseball writer, so I respect his opinion, even if he doesn’t know as much about the Rockies’ inner workings as he thinks he does. That holds for much of the national media.
In the wake of Colorado’s decision to fire manager Bud Black, Verducci wrote: “By firing Black, the Rockies did something this long-irrelevant franchise almost never does: It called attention to itself. And the picture that comes into focus is an ugly one. Like the Pittsburgh Pirates firing manager Derek Shelton, the move is devoid of meaning. Does a change in managers matter when a team is not trying to win and when systemic problems have been in place for years?”
Is Black’s dismissal “devoid of meaning?” Time will tell. If there are no significant changes to the front office and coaching staff after the 2025 season, then Black will be the fall guy for a team that had to do something to appease the fans.
I actually believe Monfort will shake up the front office. To what extent, I’m not sure. But Monfort also has to look in the mirror.
Patrick, first of all, thank you for hanging in there through these tough seasons. My question: Dick Monfort has always treated this organization and most personnel like family. I think it has made decisions that need to be made more difficult. Or he’s just unable to make them.
Now, following the firing of Bud Black, and with what was said in his press release, it seems like these last few seasons have now forced him to take a different approach. What do you think of that being the case? And do you think he was actually taking a hard look from the top down and starting to look to make those hard decisions? Thanks!
— Scott Kuhloie, Highlands Ranch
Scott, that’s very perceptive of you. You’re right; firing people and changing things up are hard for Monfort. But two 100-loss seasons in a row, paired with this disastrous season, will force him to make changes. Will he go outside the organization for new faces or keep things in-house like usual? That’s the multi-million dollar question.
For years, we have heard about all this great talent that was in the pipeline. A couple of guys have played well and stuck in the majors, but for many, the transition to the big leagues is taking longer than promised. Will the new manager and GM (likely) have to start all over or is there enough talent in the system for the Rox to start being competitive in the next season or two?
— Peter Groff, Denver (but lives in Philadelphia)
Peter, major league farm systems are challenging to evaluate, and I always take the rankings with a grain of salt. MLB Pipeline, for example, ranks Colorado No. 18 on its list, but the evaluations can change dramatically from year to year.
My bottom line: The Rockies don’t have enough talent in the system to turn the corner in the next few years. They must sign some talented free-agent hitters to beef up their terrible offense. The problem is that Kris Bryant is being paid $27 million a season through 2028. That takes quite a bite out of the budget.
Patrick, why is Bill Schmidt still the general manager after the team fired Bud Black? Since Schmidt took over in 2021, the team has progressively gotten worse. Four years seems like plenty of time to turn around a roster, or at least show some sort of improvement.
— Mark, Arvada
Mark, that’s a fair question. I think Schmidt is on the hot seat and should be. He would probably agree. Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler definitely believes Schmidt should go.
Many of the high draft picks the Rockies made when Schmidt was the head of scouting — Riley Pint and Brendan Rodgers are prime examples — have not panned out. The Rockies are a self-proclaimed “draft-and-develop” organization, but they don’t have much to show for six (going on seven) consecutive losing seasons. That’s a red flag.
It’s nine months to spring training 2026. Why hang “interim” on Warren Schaeffer as manager?
— Dave Stauffer, Denver
Hiring Schaeffer as the interim manager was the right move — and the right description. However, while there is no guarantee he’ll remain the manager after this season, he deserves a chance to prove himself.
He’s the right man for the job right now because he knows Colorado’s strengths and weaknesses and is well-acquainted with the young players. He’s a good teacher. It would have made no sense to hire someone outside the organization for what’s already a lost season.
In October, the Rockies must open the manager’s job to candidates outside the organization. That doesn’t exclude Schaeffer, but Colorado has to be open to possibilities.
Hi Patrick, you definitely have a hard job reporting on the Rockies, but I enjoy your candor about Monfort’s incompetence and his ownership of the team.
I am sure you hear this question a lot, but I wonder if you could clarify something for me? Is there any way that MLB and the rest of the team owners can force Dick Monfort to have an outside consultant analyze the whole organization and the baseball operations? It seems this would be the only way to take the power of making ridiculous trades away from Monfort and hire someone as the president of baseball operations and an outside manager to guide the franchise to put a competitive team on the field.
One last thing I will add is that I’m glad that Bud Black got let go, so now he can manage a team that the owner actually has a clue on how to build a competitive team.
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work!
— Tom, Littleton
Tom, Major League Baseball can pressure owners to sell, but it’s rare. On occasion, MLB will step in to oversee a team’s operations.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and several owners are reportedly pressuring Tampa Bay owner Stu Sternberg to sell the team now because of the team’s lack of clarity surrounding a long-term stadium.
More famously, Frank McCourt was “forced” to sell the mighty Dodgers. McCourt’s messy divorce and financial problems forced MLB to step in. In April 2011, with the divorce still unsettled, former MLB commissioner Bud Selig announced that as part of a league investigation, he would appoint someone to oversee the team, effectively taking control of the organization. Front Office Sports provides a more thorough explanation if you’re interested.
Fans might be angry about the Rockies’ mounting losses and many of the team’s decisions, but the Rockies are not in a chaotic situation like the Dodgers were. In other words, MLB is not going to intervene in Colorado.
I’m a die-hard Rockies fan whose fandom has died hard over the last five seasons. Even in a best-case scenario, I don’t know how many years I’ll have to wait until the Rockies are respectable. What (non-Dodgers) team would you suggest as a fun one to follow for the next few years? I’d like to watch competitive games again.
— Isaac Bowen, Fort Collins
Isaac, if I were you, I would adopt one of two teams: the Tigers or the Padres.
First of all, the Tigers aren’t the Yankees or the Red Sox, have excellent young pitching, and a solid farm system. The Tigers looked like the real deal in their recent visit to Coors Field.
The Padres are a talented, fun team to watch, and if they can knock the Dodgers off the NL West throne, we’ll all be a lot happier.
With the Rockies well on their way to a 110-plus loss season, no real face of the organization, an owner unwilling to change, and a farm system ranked in the middle, what is the bright spot for a Rockies fan to focus on? I know you have said that Dick Monfort really cares about winning but the results show quite the opposite.
— Del, Lamar
Searching for a bright spot right now is difficult. If you can stomach the team’s overall record, I’d focus on the following players and root for them: Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, starting pitcher Chase Dollander, reliever Zach Agnos, catcher/DH Hunter Goodman, and outfielders Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck.
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