Some franchises rebuild, others reload. The Colorado Rockies, though, are stuck in rewind. That’s been the case since their first game of the season on March 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays through their most recent loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 26. The Rockies have lost nearly every game they’ve played this season, starting with a historically bad season start of 9-50. As things stand, former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd has a grim statement or two to share about the Rockies’ current stats.

As of June, the Rockies have dropped 22 straight series. They also have the worst team ERA in baseball through the month at 6.21, and own a staggering -211 run differential while averaging just 3.2 runs per game. But how did this season get to such a point? This downward spiral began with the Rockies’ game against the Mets on June 1, where the Rockies lost 5-3. This 50th loss in just 59 games rendered the Rockies far worse than even the Chicago White Sox, who were at the bottom of the 2024 season. Unfortunately, they’ve made unwanted history by becoming the first modern team since 1901 to reach that record so quickly.

In light of recent events, O’ Dowd stated: “I think when you get to this position, you have a lot of bad luck. The game is based on skill and luck, and the reality of it is they’ve made a lot of bad decisions over a long period of time.” And it’s true—roster mismanagement and organizational gaps have played a major part in putting the Rockies where they are now.

“They’ve put themselves in the position they’re in. And I don’t think it’s just one decision, I think it’s a layer of bad decisions. ‘Cause that’s what the front office is all about, you just try to make a good decision every single day,” he elaborated. O’Dowd sees the front office as grinding daily to make the right calls, and when they consistently make the wrong ones, the team feels the consequences for years.

Yes, the Rockies would definitely have benefited from avoiding a few past decisions—the Nolan Arenado trade, for example. Third baseman Arenado was traded to the Cardinals for $50 million in 2021 while still in his prime, and the Rockies received a middling group of prospects in return. More examples of questionable decisions include Kris Bryant being given a seven-year, $182 million deal and Trevor Story being given a qualifying offer (which he declined) in 2021. Unlike the Baltimore Orioles or Houston Astros, who have worked hard to rebuild, the Rockies have no elite prospects or foreseeable commitment to strategy.

Next for the Rockies?

Moving forward, there is no easy fix for the franchise. According to O’Dowd’s critical analysis as former GM, the only way out for the team might be a total roster revamp, similar to what the Orioles did in 2018-2021 or the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2016-2018.

The Rockies haven’t developed their pitching, especially taking Coors Field‘s challenges into consideration. Playing at altitude always inflates hitters’ numbers and hides weaknesses, which makes the pitcher—especially strikeout pitchers like Shane Bieber—suffer more. Their draft picks are stagnant, and their player development pipeline is weak. The Rockies might get their best results if they keep Bryant or other veterans like Ryan McMahon and focus on younger talent.

Building on O’Dowd’s front office comment, GM Bill Schmidt has also drawn criticism for his inaction at key times, as well as his “draft now, develop later” policy. With owner Charlie Monfort calling for an overhaul, if management could be rectified and the analytics department expanded, the Rockies could potentially pull off a 1969 Mets-style turnaround.