Under The Knife 4/25/25

Breaking Rox In The Hot Sun

It’s still April as I write this and the Rockies are already cooked. Four wins. Eighteen losses. A full game behind the White Sox, who are trying their best to field a high school team. Twelve games back in the division. Twelve. In April. That’s not a bad start. That’s the white flag being hoisted before the calendar even flips to May. They fired the hitting coach already, as if that was the issue. As if anyone believes that’s going to fix what’s broken. Kris Bryant, their so-called best player, is barely upright. His back might be shot. That contract, that big swing they took, is aging worse than anything in the humidor.

The ownership group should be ashamed. But they’re not. They never are. There’s no urgency. No direction. No sign that winning matters to anyone in charge. The payroll looks like it was written in pencil. They hand out deals based on vibes, not facts. They value faith and personality over fastballs and barrels. And sure, clubhouse culture matters, but it doesn’t mean a damn thing if you can’t hit a curve or throw one. The Rockies aren’t just behind the times. They’re acting like the sport hasn’t changed since the Reagan administration.

Meanwhile, in West Sacramento, the A’s are willingly playing in a minor league park. That’s their plan. Sacramento by way of Las Vegas by way of purgatory. They don’t even have a real name anymore. Just a floating nickname, like some ghost franchise waiting to be absorbed. Somehow, the Rockies are more embarrassing. At least the A’s know they’re a mess. Colorado still pretends. They’ve got one of the best parks in the league, a city that would rally around a real contender, and they’re wasting it. Every year. Without fail.

I used to rage against contraction. When Bud Selig mentioned it, I was ready to riot. The Twins. The Expos. The outrage felt righteous. But now? Now I’d nod along if Rob Manfred brought it up again. I’d listen. The Rockies aren’t trying. Not really. They’re running out the clock, hoping altitude and sunshine will be enough to keep the turnstiles moving. It’s not a team. It’s a tourist attraction. It’s a megachurch cash grab disguised as a major league franchise. A baseball-shaped distraction. There’s no plan. No identity. Just a parade of replacement-level guys and an organization that seems to prefer it that way.

This isn’t just a rebuild. It’s a surrender. A willful, stubborn refusal to compete. And that should be unacceptable. But somehow, in Colorado, it’s just business as usual. As the CBA gets ready to re-open, one thing that the PA should suggest is that the owners put in a mechanism to police themselves. A salary floor should include ways for teams to keep revenue sharing from enriching a complacent owner as has happened repeatedly. Putting in a “sell the team” doomsday clause could put a stop to it, even if it’s unlikely owners would ever actually push that button.

It’s easy to say “sell the team” but to who? The minority owners are likely too small in holdings to force it and none - a family construction business, a local alcohol distributor, and a hedge fund that owns the Denver Post now - would appear to have the resources or willingness. There’s the Kroenkes who own the Nuggets and Avalanche, or the WalMart money that owns the Broncos (and St Louis Blues.) Aside from the usual “I wish that billionaire who has a house in Vail wanted to own a sports team” there’s really no good candidate. Which makes it all the tougher to push the Monforts aside. Someone’s got to do it eventually.

Let’s get to the injuries:

BLAKE SNELL, SP LAD (inflamed shoulder)

“Something gave.” That’s the term that was used by a source to describe what Blake Snell’s setback was. Snell was playing catch, throwing hard, but certainly not at what anyone would call high intent. The issue is in the same location as before, again per a source, and the team’s medical staff immediately intervened and began treatment. It was determined that Snell would be shut down and will see team doctors, perhaps adding in new imagery once the team returns to Los Angeles.

I wouldn’t interpret the delay as a positive or a negative. Nothing was going to be decided before Snell saw team doctors and a day isn’t going to change where this is. At worst, the wait allows some time for the shoulder to hopefully reduce inflammation and make the exam and imaging easier. That exam is scheduled for Friday and we should know more by the next UTK.

It should be noted that the weekend session was Snell’s second. He had made it through the first well and I’m told there was no recovery issue or something that gave any sign a setback was coming. With another shutdown, Snell’s return is a complete unknown. In the best case, he’s pushed back another couple weeks and the re-ramp will be a bit longer, making this at least a 60-day absence and yes, you should note that given the possible need for roster flexibility.