Bill Schmidt, Colorado Rockies
Impact: -8.0
Division rank: fifth
MLB rank: tie for 24th
It’s challenging to find something nice to say about Bill Schmidt’s second full season running the Rockies’ front office.
Rockies front offices perennially struggle to figure out a strategy to keep up with the Dodgers and cope with the variable that is Denver’s altitude. Since the franchise’s creation in time for the 1993 season, Rockies front office execs have produced only a dozen seasons of positive contribution, contrasted with 18 negative seasons, seven of them now in succession.
In 2022, Schmidt played it conservatively, making just 30 moves involving major league talent. The problem was that only eight of those moves improved the Rockies in 2022, while 21 hurt the cause. The loss to free agency of Trevor Story was the headline change. Story signed with Boston and produced a 1.2 WAA there.
To replace that and less publicized losses, Schmidt’s preference was to sign or re-sign veterans, and as a general rule that strategy did not work out. Some examples:
- He re-signed pitcher Jhoulys Chacin and for his money got a 7.61 ERA in 35 relief appearances, good for a -1.8 WAA.
- He traded for outfielder Randall Grichuk, whose .259 average and sub-standard defense worked out to -1.5 WAA.
- He signed free agent pitcher Chad Kuhl and gave Kuhl 27 starts. Those 27 starts produced a 6-11 record and 5.72 ERA, good for a -1.2 WAA.
- Free agent pitcher Alex Colomé came in from Minnesota and ran up a 5.74 ERA in 53 games. That translated to -1.1 WAA.
Overall, Schmidt’s front office ranked 14th in net trade impact but 28th in net free agent impact and only 22nd in net farm system impact.