As major-league baseball’s trade deadline passed, Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd did nothing to help his team, mired in last place of the National League.
As we watch with morbid curiosity to see how low Colorado can go — 90, 95, 100 defeats? — during the remainder of yet another lost season in LoDo, there’s one meaningful thing O’Dowd could do.
He could craft a resignation letter and hand it to franchise owner Dick Monfort when the Rockies play their final game Sept. 28.
For 15 years, O’Dowd has served the Rockies loyally, passionately and relentlessly.
O’Dowd is a good baseball man. Please give him a standing ovation for the remarkable World Series run in 2007, a smart trade that netted Carlos Gonzalez and the insight to rescue Justin Morneau from the scrap heap this past offseason.
But are those good deeds enough to make anybody GM for life?
As any good baseball person knows, the best-laid plans in the executive offices at 20th and Blake have not worked in a long time. While mouthing the same tired excuses about the difficulty of playing at altitude, the Rockies are fresh out of meaningful ideas.
While customers flock through the gates at Coors Field, it should also be noted that the work of O’Dowd has alienated some of the best people to have worn a Rockies uniform, from Matt Holliday to Ubaldo Jimenez to Jim Tracy to Troy Tulowitzki.
This madness has to stop.
Monfort, however, does not have the stomach for tough choices.
Rather than call executives on the carpet, Monfort would prefer to spend his time and energy building a party deck.
It’s a beautiful party deck in need of a decent reason to cheer.
With a 3-1 loss Thursday to the lowly Chicago Cubs, the Rockies suffered their 64th setback in 108 gutty tries. Yes, an unfairly high number of injuries has hurt this team.
But know what has hurt far worse? Colorado has displayed no ability to draft and develop pitchers, a chronic problem during the course of O’Dowd’s lengthy regime.
In 2014, the Rockies have won barely 40 percent of the time. Get this: As an NL expansion team in 1993, the Rockies won a tad more than 41 percent of the time.
In other words, if the Rockies of Jorge De La Rosa, Wilin Rosario and Nolan Arenado met the inaugural squad that featured Andres Galarraga, Dante Bichette and Armando Reynoso in their primes, a best-of-seven series would be too close to call.
That’s not exactly progress, by my count.
The Rockies fielded trade offers, but heard none that would have made the club better in 2015, according to assistant general manager Bill Geivett. Isn’t it the task of the front office to go out and unearth deals that improve a last-place team?
Manager Walt Weiss wears the agony of every defeat on his face. If the team’s best player is frustrated with how the Rockies conduct business, shouldn’t every thinking fan share some of Tulowitzki’s concerns? In a free-agent market where pitching is always at a premium, De La Rosa can certainly make a pretty penny some place more ERA-friendly than Colorado.
O’Dowd is a man of integrity. Every one of his moves during the past 15 years, whether it was a wasted draft pick or a bargain-basement acquisition that helped a midmarket franchise, were made with the best interests of the Rockies in mind.
O’Dowd is tougher than Monfort, and somebody has to be brave enough to change this franchise’s fortunes. Here’s betting the Rockies owner can’t summon the nerve to fire his general manager.
But O’Dowd does have the strength to do what’s best for the Rockies.
Formulate a resignation letter, deliver it to Monfort and tell Colorado thanks for everything.
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla
