The Colorado Rockies have been one of the league’s worst teams since 2019.
Unfortunately, their issues go way beyond the roster and on-field performance.
The front office and the ownership also have a lot to do with the recent failures.
Rockies ownership is just too clueless for the team to have a chance to contend soon, and there are several situations to prove it.
They Monumentally Mishandled The Arenado Situation
After years of top-end production, they paid full price on the Nolan Arenado extension (eight years and $260 million) in February 2019.
It’s a lot of money, but the primary problem of the deal was that they gave the player the ability to opt out after both the 2021 and the 2022 seasons.
What they didn’t know is that, in the process, they really compromised Arenado’s trade value.
Of course, they didn’t think the player was going to be traded eventually, but reports surfaced that Arenado requested a trade in 2020.
In February 2021, after a disappointing season by Arenado in 2020 and just two years after signing his big extension, the Rockies paid the St. Louis Cardinals to take Arenado and at least send them some players.
The package was highlighted by Austin Gomber, who has been decent with the Rockies, but overall was very underwhelming.
Their handling of the Arenado situation was just one of several recent Rockies mishaps.
Other Recent Scandals And Blunders
They also reportedly used front-office staffers as clubhouse attendants in the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
They preferred that rather than bring back furloughed part-time employees.
Per The Score, the duties of the “clubbies” reportedly included shining shoes, cleaning laundry, and buying chewing tobacco for players in both the home and visiting clubhouses at Coors Field.
The Rockies were ridiculed after this news became public.
Additionally, they infamously opted not to trade their free-agent-to-be shortstop Trevor Story at the 2021 trade deadline, preferring to take the compensatory draft pick after they extend him a qualifying offer after the season.
Instead of looking for a package of two or three good prospects like every team shopping rentals did, the Rockies, a team that is going nowhere this season with a 47-60 record, will likely see Story go after the World Series ends.
Rockies ownership this #MLBTradeDeadline pic.twitter.com/d9B9RlNdai
— Ryan Stephens (@ryancstephens) July 30, 2021
He is young (28 years old) and good, so why would he want to play for a franchise that seems to have no idea what it is doing?
After seeing how the Rockies handled the Arenado situation, how they forced front-office staffers to do things way out of their duties list, and how they showed no desire or ability to improve the roster these years, it’s safe to assume Story won’t be coming back.
The Rockies could have traded Story, Daniel Bard, Jon Gray, and other players in expiring deals to improve a mediocre farm system.
But they chose mediocrity once again.
Even Story said he was confused with the lack of a trade.
If only the @Rockies ownership was as good as it's Twitter account.#Rockies https://t.co/gkKyWzGtUV
— Charlie Ricker (@CharlieRicker24) July 30, 2021
At least former general manager Jeff Bridich isn’t around anymore, but it’s clear the Rockies still don’t know how to run a team.
NEXT: There Is Zero Shot Trevor Story Stays With Rockies