In baseball, some doors never really close; they just spin. For the Colorado Rockies, a franchise in the middle of a historic collapse, that door might start revolving again. The team is in a free fall, prompting everyone to stop the bleeding desperately. And the answer, it seems, might come from a very familiar place, a move that feels both shocking and strangely predictable.

The first major domino fell on May 11, 2025. The Rockies fired manager Bud Black after a disastrous 7-33 start to the season. This happened in the wake of back-to-back 100-loss sea­sons in 2023 and 2024. Owner Dick Monfort said the team’s play was “unacceptable,” a rare and blunt admission of failure. The firing felt like a necessary sacrifice to appease a deeply frustrated fan base.

But now, just over a month after his dismissal, Black may be rejoining the club. Bob Nightengale reported on USA Today that “Former Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black…could be rejoining the Rockies just a month after being dismissed.” Nightengale thinks of him as “a strong candidate to replace Steve Foster, who is leaving his position as the Rockies’ director of pitching.”

This sudden vacancy opened after Foster left to become the new pitching coach at Texas Tech, suggesting Black’s exit was more about appearances than a permanent break.

If you zoom in, this potential move makes perfect sense. Everyone knows Black’s desire to remain in the game. And according to Nightengale, the former Angels pitching coach “has let friends know he has no interest in retiring and wants to remain in the game.” Plus, his experience with Mike Scioscia for the current role and his deep familiarity with the Rockies’ system and its pitchers would allow him to step in immediately.

The timing of this potential reunion shows the team’s desperation.

The 2025 Rockies are not simply bad; they are historically awful. They have been outscored by 196 runs in 75 games. The team’s pitchers have a collective 5.59 ERA, the worst in baseball. The offense sits near the bottom of the league with a .228 batting average. This is not a mere slump; rather, a complete systemic failure.

Now, while Black might return, another key architect had already planned his departure.

The Rockies’ retention woes

No surprise there! First, we are talking about Steve Foster only, largely responsible for assembling the finest pitching staff in franchise history. His work was central to the team’s back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018.

He first stepped down as the on-field pitching coach in 2021, citing a desire “to spend more time with family.” Foster then took the director role only to leave now for a more high-stress job at Texas Tech, a move that questions his original reasoning.

But it’s not just limited to the coaching staff. Key players have also shown a reluctance to stay.

According to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, star pitcher Jon Gray turned down a contract extension. He chose to test the open market instead. Although Gray said he had no wish to leave Colorado, his decision indicates a problem. The franchise is struggling to hold onto its most valuable assets, both on the field and in the dugout.

Now, this entire fiasco is not something new in baseball. The game is rife with these “revolving door” reconciliations.

Billy Martin was famously hired and fired five times by the Yankees. More recently, the Red Sox rehired Alex Cora after his suspension for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. The Rockies themselves brought back Clint Hurdle as a special assistant to the GM years after firing him as manager in December 2019.

Ultimately, bringing Buddy Black back could be a brilliant stroke of stability. He is the franchise’s winningest manager and commands immense respect. Placing him in charge of pitching development makes perfect sense, leveraging his greatest strengths. It mirrors other recent “bittersweet” reunions, like Sammy Sosa returning to the Cubs.

For the Rockies, this move wouldn’t be just about mending a fence. It would be an attempt to rebuild a foundation with one of the few architects who knows the original blueprints.