Dave Roberts says what everyone was thinking after Rockies dump mentor Bud Black

Just one year after the Chicago White Sox claimed the title of the worst MLB team of all time, the Colorado Rockies seem primed to steal their badge of dishonor.

Chicago posted a 41-121 record in 2024, the worst in any season in MLB history. Colorado carries 7-34 record a quarter of the way through the season, and could quickly de-throne the White Sox in infamy. To avoid that fate, the Rockies fired Bud Black, their manager of eight years, on May 11.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts considers Black, his longtime National League West rival, a mentor. Roberts was a coach under Black while he managed the Padres from 2006-18, and he rushed to his fellow skipper's defense.

“I don’t think Casey Stengel could change the outcome of that ballclub, and that’s not the manager’s fault," Roberts said in the wake of Black's dismissal. "But obviously, they felt they needed a change in voice or direction. But for me, there’s not many people that are better than Buddy Black. So, yeah, that’s very disappointing. It is certainly not his doing.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' comments after the Rockies fired Bud Black are harsh, but true

Roberts' comments aren't an insult to former bench coach Stengel's managing skills, but rather a jab at the Rockies' front office. Team owner Dick Monfort made Black the scapegoat for his team's disastrous recent years, despite his own incompetent ownership.

The Dodgers, Giants, Padres and Diamondbacks all have payrolls in the upper half of the league. The Rockies have the ninth-lowest payroll in MLB and haven't made an effort to truly compete since their last playoff appearance in 2018.

“Our play so far this season, especially coming off the last two seasons, has been unacceptable,” Monfort said in a statement from the day of Black's firing. “Our fans deserve better, and we are capable of better. While we all share responsibility in how this season has played out, these changes are necessary."

Such comments are rich coming from Monfort. The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees' dominance in the 2024 postseason shows that money matters in baseball. Monfort's club hasn't succeeded because he hasn't spent the money necessary to compete in this league. If Rockies fans deserve better, it's on him to supply the better talent they deserve by signing free agents or investing more in behind-the-scenes resources for improvement.

It has to be hard to lure quality free agents to Colorado, though. The thin air as a result of Coors Field's high altitude makes the ball fly farther than any other ballpark in the league, which is a nightmare for pitchers. It works in hitters' favor, but opposing clubs may believe that the park artificially inflates hitters' offensive stats. Playing at Coors is a losing battle for anyone who reaches free agency after a stint with the Rockies.

Low payroll and park factors have created a desperate ballclub, not Black's management. Roberts said what all baseball fans were thinking after Black was fired, and it's unfair for so many managers to take the fall for uninvested ownership. Unfortunately, that's just the way the stale ballpark pretzel crumbles in baseball.