As the Rockies trudge through another rough year, there isn’t yet any indication over whether or not manager Bud Black could be returning for his ninth season. GM Bill Schmidt told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders that the team and Black will “talk at the end of the season” and that “there’s nothing more to report on that” for the time being. It isn’t exactly a vote of confidence for Black, who is on pace for his sixth straight losing season and his second straight year of at least 100 losses.
While Black’s contract is technically up after the season, his deal has been described in the past (by reporter Nick Groke) as “a rolling year-to-year contract.” In both February 2022 and 2023, the Rox announced a new one-year extension to Black’s deal, yet no such extension was announced this past spring even though the two sides had some talks about Black’s future. It could be that owner Dick Monfort’s well-known penchant for loyalty to his employees was running a little thin coming off a 103-loss season, or perhaps Black himself might be considering a different role at age 67. Saunders writes that Black “loves teaching young players and participating in the Rockies’ attempts to improve,” but has also “remained mum about” the possibility of returning as Colorado’s skipper.
More from around the NL West…
- The Dodgers’ list of forthcoming reinforcements off the injured list includes Blake Treinen, as manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (links to X) and other reporters that Treinen is expected to be activated on Tuesday. This means Treinen will miss just the minimum 15 days after some left hip discomfort sent him to the IL back on August 5. Shoulder injuries limited Treinen to five innings in 2022 and he didn’t pitch at all in 2023, and despite this minor hip issue and a bruised lung/rib fractures suffered during Spring Training, he has still posted a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for Los Angeles this year. In more positive news about the relief corps, Roberts said Brusdar Graterol will soon throw a bullpen session, as Graterol is making a quicker recovery than expected from a hamstring strain. There was some concern that Graterol’s season might’ve been in jeopardy when he was put on the 15-day IL back on August 7, but it looks like he’ll be able to return and try to salvage something from what has thus far been a lost year. Shoulder inflammation prevented Graterol from making his season debut until August 6, and he faced just three batters (recording one out) before hurting his hamstring.
- Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week due to right elbow inflammation, and manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle) today that tests didn’t reveal any structural damage. Rodriguez will still be shut down for a couple of weeks before being re-evaluated, so his absence should extend well beyond the 15-day minimum. The hard-throwing Rodriguez has made a solid accounting of himself in his rookie season, posting a 3.93 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate over 50 1/3 innings.
- Circling back to the Rockies for one final note, Colorado activated Nolan Jones from the 10-day injured list today, and optioned catcher Hunter Goodman to Triple-A. After a seeming breakout year in 2023, Jones has hit only .202/.311/.313 in 191 PA this season, while playing in just 49 games due to two lengthy IL stints related to lower back pain. Jones also had extra concerns off the field, as he told Patrick Saunders that his newborn daughter had some breathing problems but is now thankfully doing better.
Not 1 single player from the 2002 World Series competing Giants is still playing on the team. Think of that (!) Almost unbelievable.
It’s unbelievable because it isn’t true.
Oops I read this as ‘2022’
I know! Same for the 1955 Dodgers! What’s going on?
Worse, no one from the last Cleveland Indians championship team is still on the roster…
1948 seems like yesterday.
Are any of them even alive???
Right but that Dodgers team was 50 years ago so its not as realistic for them to still be playing at all let alone on that same team
Actually, arithmetic would say 1955 was 69 years ago, not 50. And you expect players from 2002 to still be playing with the Giants or any team for that matter? Why?
“1955 Dodgers”…1986 Mets on line #1.
That’s because they lost to the mighty halos
Crazy to see a guy’s OPS+ be cut in half one year to the next.
Calling Hunter Goodman a catcher is a little bit off. He’s caught a few games this season, but has spent much more time in the OF and at DH.
Pitching, not Bud Black, is the Rockies’ problem.
I thought it was ownership?
Yes, no doubt that ownership has demonstrated plenty of abysmal judgement. However, to give credit where it’s due, the GM and ownership have been steadily assembling a solid core of talented young position players (CF, SS, 2B, 1B).
Black is the only one in management in Colorado that has a clue. The rest of those clowns running the show are the worse in baseball starting with Monfort, just wait till he promotes his son.
And hitting. Coors Field masks some of those issues and makes the pitching look even worse.
Blake
“Pitching, not Bud Black, is the Rockies’ problem.”
Rockies are:
30th in pitching with an 119 ERA-, 114 FIP-, 113 xFIP-. All 30th in MLB
28th in hitting with an 84 wRC+
DodgersBro,
Nice summary. It’s going to be a long time before the Rockies are competitive again.
It’s roster construction.
It may not be “fair” but the Rockies have to accept the fact that you have to build specifically for Coors. It’s also a lot easier said that done but they have to find pitchers that put the ball on the ground first and foremost and put a defense behind them that can cover ground.
Colorado has the biggest outfield in the majors leagues, they have to have a defensive first center fielder and guys in the corners with plus speed as well.
The DH coming to the NL was a gift to the Rockies and they have to take advantage of that. Get a masher at first and get a masher at DH, defense is a priority pretty much everywhere else due to the vastness of the outfield and the speed of the infield. If you have top prospects that do not fit the bill (unfamiliar with the Rockies farm) deal for guys who do. Guys with a good elevated fastball are not going to do well in Coors.
Black’s rolling year-to-year contract is just that until it isn’t. Keep in mind that Black’s predecessor, Walt Weiss, had a contract that expired at the end of a season, and his contract stopped rolling then. To this day there are folks in the media who still say he was fired, and that was not the case. I see no reason on the part of the organization or Black for their relationship to continue. I don’t think it really matters who manages the team, and that’s a sad commentary.
but now we know how Schmidt got the job, he really excels at blaming other people for his own failures.
Our boss got let go a couple months ago. Instead of hiring a new manager, the owner put an orange cone in charge. I’ve lost thirteen pounds and I couldn’t be happier.
At 67 and no competitive light at the end of the tunnel (or end of the tunnel for that matter) i could see Black stepping down after this season
Memo to all Rockies employees: The light at the end of the tunnel has been disconnected until further notice. In fact, the tunnel is off limits to all team employees effective immediately.
H.S. Kim was removed from the game today with a shoulder injury and will have an MRI tomorrow, just in case MLBTR is interested in reporting on that.
It’s(Kim’s injury)being covered in an “NL injury” MLBTRADERUMORS.COM post that just came out around 7pm Pacific time.
Patience…they’ve covered it now.
I think I heard the Cardinals were looking for a replacement for Marlmol, Bud Black will be an upgrade. But then so would any of the Coaches for the Little League World Series teams.
Skip Schumaker from Marlins? Would he be good fit for the STL, any bad blood from his playing days?
Whether Skip or Bud or another name, Cards have to move on from marmol, he is awful.
The question is when does Mozeliak fire Marmol? Or will both be fired at the same time? It will probably have to be something catastrophic as was the case with Grifol in Chicago.
I haven’t watched a lot of the Cardinals this season but the fact they have stayed in wild card contention with that absolutely atrocious pitching staff should earn Marmol more of a leash with the fan base.
The rotten thing for Bud Black is the owner is about as cheap as they come and then he tries too over correct and give out stupid contracts, Kris Bryant comes to mind, and then Monfort wants Bud Black to make Chicken Salad out of Chicken $hi%…I’m guessing that he wants out of Colorado, and he would be a great hire for any number of jobs that will
become available…St Louis, Los Angeles…yes, the Dodgers if Roberts and team choke in the playoffs again, Nationals just to name a few…he would not be out of a job for long.
No, the Rockies’ owner isn’t cheap, he just often makes odd decisions with his money. The Rockies’ payroll is #17 out of 30 teams, despite the team playing in a relatively small media market. Agree that the Bryant signing was asinine. They should keep Black, and make Bryant a hitting coach.
3fs
“any number of jobs that will
become available…St Louis, Los Angeles…yes, the Dodgers if Roberts and team choke in the playoffs again”
First, no
Second, tell me how you differentiate between a team losing in the playoffs and a team “choking” in the m playoffs
The dominance shown during the regular season. If they don’t replicate it during playoffs……choke.
@dodgerbro That’s easy. When it’s your Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s a big choke!
I think winning at least 100 games and failing to get out of the NLDS (winning only 1 game) the past two years would classify as “choking” especially when you lose both series to teams in your own division.
Also, when you are consistently good, the bars set higher, when you spend a ton of money, the same. When the expectation is a World Series, a playoff run is a disappointment, being bounced in the first round is a choke.
Bud Black is a lot like Scrap Iron Phil Garner. Good manager who should be allowed to walk away on his own. Phil was never fired, he just said he did not have any fire left and left in Mid August. Losing record but recognized by peers as a great manager!