Rockies analysis: GM Bill Schmidt’s track record illustrates why front-office change appears imminent

When Bill Schmidt was promoted to Rockies interim general manager on May he stated several key things He was interested in becoming the long-term GM He didn t believe the Rockies needed rebuilding And he reported Job No was to Get everybody pulling on the rope in the same direction Not only the players but the whole organization Then there s this At the end of the day I realize we need to win games Schmidt was named the long-term GM on Oct but his vision of what the Rockies could become has never materialized Now as the Rockies near the end of the worst season in franchise history and remain on track for one of the worst seasons in big-league history it s clear Schmidt s tenure has been a failure Colorado entered the weekend with a - record on pace to lose games and the group had a - record on Schmidt s watch a winning percentage that is by far the worst of any Colorado GM The Rockies have not publicly commented on Schmidt s future but it appears likely that he will be fired or reassigned at the end of the season When the club fired longtime manager Bud Black after the association opened the season with a - record owner Dick Monfort issued a declaration that read Our play this season especially coming off the last two seasons has been unacceptable While we all share responsibility in how this season has played out these changes are necessary We will use the remainder of 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 Unacceptable and evaluate all areas of our operation were key points in that declaration and they surely apply to Schmidt not just Black and the players The following is an analysis of Schmidt s tenure as GM Free-agent signings Relative to multiple major league teams the Rockies have been minor players in baseball s free-agent contest during Schmidt s tenure The exception was the spring signing of Kris Bryant to a seven-year million contract the largest in franchise history Bryant has played in just games this season and only in his first four seasons with the franchise He has been worth a minus- rWAR over that time and hit only home runs His chronic lower back condition the band calls it lumbar degenerative disc sickness could mean that his career is over Regardless the Rockies still owe Bryant million in and Schmidt initially envisioned Bryant as the Rockies aircraft carrier but national baseball pundits almost universally panned the signing forthwith after it was revealed While it was Monfort who pushed for Bryant to come to Colorado there s no indication Schmidt pushed back on the deal either Schmidt s other major free-agent signings Related Articles Rockies pounded by Padres lose for the th time in games Rockies Journal Taking a swing at MLB expansion and realignment Tanner Gordon Triple-A call-up Blaine Crim end Rockies misery in San Diego For Rockies Chase Dollander season ends with home-road splits still a concern Hapless Rockies shut out for fourth straight time by Padres at Petco Park Outfielder Juricson Profar one year million Right-handed reliever Alex Colome one year million Right-handed starter Jose Urena re-signed one year million Utility sportsman Kyle Farmer one year million Second baseman Thairo Estrada one year million Whether it was because of injuries Estrada or poor play Profar none of those deals yielded a big return It should be noted that Monfort s desire to sign Bryant to a mega-deal coupled with his decision to reduce the club s -man payroll from million in to million this season according to Spotrac hindered Schmidt s efforts to build a better group The Rockies have rarely been operational in free agency even before Schmidt s tenure but the GM s inability to mine the margins of the territory for productive players didn t help Contract extensions Schmidt who served as Colorado s head of scouting since before his promotion certainly believes in the players he drafted or acquired During his tenure as GM he extended the contracts of several players the greater part notably left-hander Kyle Freeland and third baseman Ryan McMahon in the spring of and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar during spring training Tovar s seven-year million extension appears to be a big win for the Rockies and is easily one of Schmidt s best moves The other extensions are more questionable Three days after signing Bryant Colorado signed McMahon to a six-year million extension revealing Schmidt s blueprint We don t have all we need yet but we have quality pieces Schmidt announced at the time Let s tie them up and move forward A month later the Rockies signed Freeland to a five-year million extension The -year-old remains with the club as a steady veteran presence in Colorado s historically bad rotation McMahon was traded to the Yankees in July for prospects Though he was Colorado s lone All-Star in his high strikeout rate and streaky hitting prevented him from ever becoming the participant the Rockies envisioned The Freeland and McMahon signings ended Schmidt s majority working stretch as a GM In the fall of after the Rockies lost star shortstop Trevor Story and right-handed starter Jon Gray to free agency Colorado brokered long-term deals with right-hander Antonio Senzatela five years million and catcher Elias Diaz three years million and also re-signed first baseman C J Cron for two years million Dias and Cron were both All-Stars but the Senzatela extension has aged poorly A knee injury at the end of the season and Tommy John surgery in July cost him dearly and he s been bad since his return This season the -year-old was - with a ERA in games starts and batters were hitting against him when he was demoted to the bullpen in August Senzatela has one year remaining on his contract and is set to earn million in Reliever Daniel Bard s contract extension also backfired on Schmidt In late July just ahead of the deal deadline Bard inked a two-year million contract to stay with the squad through He was a solid closer at the time and teams were interested in acquiring Bard But he was also with a history of the yips Bard s control issues resurfaced in when he posted a ERA across innings while walking more than of opposing hitters Injuries wiped out the second season of the deal Bargain or no deal Schmidt s first summer as GM included two major decisions The Rockies did not agreement Story or Gray both impending free agents Instead the Rockies offered Story an million qualifying offer which he declined As compensation when Story signed a six-year million deal with the Red Sox the Rockies received the st overall pick in the draft and selected Florida outfielder Sterlin Thompson now the club s th-ranked prospect The Rockies were hopeful they could retain Gray During the final week of the season they approached him with an offer thought to be three or four years in the range of million to million He turned it down entered free agency and the Rockies got nothing when he walked Such inaction at the arrangement deadline has been a hallmark of the organization While that s also been true during Schmidt s tenure he has strengthened the big-league roster and farm system by making specific solid moves over the last two years On the current roster right fielder Tyler Freeman closer Victor Vodnik and right-handed starter Tanner Gordon were all acquired via trades Players on the -man roster acquired via arrangement are right-handers Bradley Blalock Luis Peralta and Jeff Criswell At this summer s traded deadline the Rockies made multiple trades for their future shipping McMahon to the Yankees for two prospects trading reliever Jake Bird to the Yankees for two more prospects and dealing veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley to Atlanta in exchange for minor league right-hander Austin Smith It remains to be seen if any of those trades will pan out Draft and develop Before Schmidt became GM he had been the point man for plenty of drafts as the head of the scouting department since During his tenure several notable players were drafted including Troy Tulowitzki Jeff Francis Brad Hawpe Garrett Atkins Nolan Arenado Charlie Blackmon Freeland Gray Story and McMahon But there s been a landslide of early-round disappointments in current years including second baseman Brendon Rodgers third overall right-hander Riley Pint fourth infielder Ryan Vilade th lefty Ryan Rolison nd and first baseman Michael Toglia rd The jury is still out on outfielders Zac Veen ninth and Benny Montgomery eighth Catcher Hunter Goodman th and center fielder Brenton Doyle th were picked later in the draft but have emerged as pillars of Colorado s future Still over the past nine years the Rockies have had five top- picks and nine others in the top and those picks have combined for - bWAR Former GM Jeff Bridich had the final say on several of those picks but Schmidt had the final word starting with the draft Early results are solid His selections include right-hander Gabriel Hughes th and first baseman Charlie Condon third both of whom could debut next season Already on the big-league roster are right-hander Chase Dollander ninth infielder Ryan Ritters th and Kyle Karros th and outfielder Jordan Beck th Change on the horizon When Schmidt replaced Bridich in early May he provided stability to a dysfunctional front office There was however an expectation that the Rockies would conduct a search outside the offices at th and Black for a permanent GM That didn t happen After a - start under Bridich the Rockies went - after Schmidt took over That was good enough to convince Monfort and then-team president Greg Feasel to keep Schmidt in place It was what he did over the four months and then it just kept building and I mean really he didn t give us a choice Feasel stated at the time I mean the intent was that we were going to go outside But I mean how multiple times do you need to be hit over the head with a bat And he was the right guy for us at the right time Three -loss seasons later the Rockies have hit a new low in their -year history Will someone from the outside have the talent vision and guts to tackle the challenge of a rebuild Will Monfort and his son Walker the band s executive vice president cede power to an outsider Certain candidates with ties to Colorado might be considered Thad Levine who was in the Rockies front office from to before becoming assistant GM of the Texas Rangers and GM of the Minnesota Twins would be a good fit So would Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto who pitched for the Rockies and served two stints in their front office or perhaps Mariners assistant GM Andy McKay who was Colorado s minor league peak performance director from - before joining Seattle as farm director Whatever happens front-office changes in LoDo appear inevitable Rockies general managers by record The Rockies have only had four general managers in their -year history and none of them posted a winning record during their tenure The best of the bunch as measured by winning percentage The very first one Bob Gebhard Seasons GM Record Playoffs - Bob Gebhard - NL wild card - Jeff Bridich - wild card NLDS - Dan O Dowd - World Series NLDS - Bill Schmidt - None Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis