Discord between Rockies GM Jeff Bridich and manager Walt Weiss will likely lead to the end of the latter’s tenure in Colorado, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. That should make the Rockies’ regular-season finale against the Brewers on Sunday the last game of Weiss’ four-year stint, one in which the club has gone just 283-364. All told, Weiss’ .438 winning percentage is the lowest in franchise history. However, Colorado’s results alone won’t determine whether the franchise re-signs the 52-year-old Weiss, whose contract is set to expire.
“In a decision-making process like this, it’s not totally or fully dependent on some sort of win-loss record or this or that,” Bridich told Saunders. “There are a lot of factors that go into it. That’s how it should be. It’s not that simplistic.”
Bridich has been a member of the Rockies’ front office since 2004, but he wasn’t the GM when the team hired Weiss. That was Bridich’s predecessor, Dan O’Dowd, who appointed Weiss in 2012. Bridich took over in 2014 and now wants a manager who’s more in line with his own philosophies, relays Saunders.
On his relationship with Weiss, Bridich said, “There has been mostly good communication, some great communication and some periods where he’s busy and I’m busy and we haven’t communicated as well as we could have. That’s a natural thing for the job that he has and the job that I have.”
Notably, Bridich has left Weiss out of key decisions the Rockies have made since last offseason, per Saunders. For instance, Weiss had no input in the free agent signings of relievers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls or Gerardo Parra. All three of those players, especially Parra, have bombed this season.
Bridich denies that he has kept Weiss out of the loop, however.
“I’m not going to respond to rumor mongering,” Bridich said.
According to Bridich, he and owner Dick Monfort will meet with Weiss during the upcoming week to discuss the 2016 campaign and future plans. Monfort will help Bridich determine whether the team will bring back Weiss.
“We will go through the same process as we did last year,” Bridich revealed. “That is, sitting down after the season is done and having conversations and talking about how the season went and talking about the future.”
While it seems the Rockies and Weiss are primed to go their separate ways, Bridich did praise the embattled skipper for what he has done in Colorado.
“The environment in the clubhouse, it’s moved in the right direction,” said Bridich. “It’s a positive for us. The time that Walt’s been involved with the team, if you’re looking to dole out credit, absolutely he deserves credit. It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing for the organization.”
The Rockies and DBacks are so talented, probably more talented than the Dodgers and Giants in some ways. They’re just so inept in the FO and on the coaching staffs, it’s going to be hard for them to sustain a winning culture.
Couldn’t agree with you more
Further development of their pitching staff will have a lot of say in sustaining a “winning culture”. The Rockies are entirely at the whim of their staff. Even being league average or slightly better would send them into the stratosphere.
I don’t think a manager more in line with Bridich’s philosophy is going to increase the quality of his philosophy.
Good Decision by the Rockies if they let Walt Weiss go. They already have a solid core in Blackmon, Arenado, LeMahieu, and Cargo and rising young players like Dahl, Story, and Gray.They have a very talented team, but need good management. I think Dave Martinez would be the guy for the job.
Bud Black would be an interesting managerial candidate to pair with their young staff.