Rockies Mailbag: How long before GM Bill Schmidt is on the hot seat?

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.

Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

I understand that the fan base is upset by the Rockies not going outside for their general manager but the reality is it happened. Now, when is it realistic (for) Bill Schmidt to be on the hot seat? I can’t see (owner Dick) Monfort even thinking about it until after 2024.

— Carson, Denver

Carson, it’s a bit early to be writing Schmidt’s professional obituary, don’t you think?

I believe the Rockies should have gone outside the walls of 20th and Blake when they changed the front office in the wake of Jeff Bridich’s departure last April. They chose not to do so.

Having said that, Schmidt deserves a chance to prove himself as the new boss. He made some solid moves by signing C.J. Cron and Antonio Senzetela to new deals, but he also allowed shortstop Trevor Story and right-hander Jon Gray to leave without getting anything in return (save for receiving a draft pick when Story signs elsewhere as a free agent).

But to answer your basic question, I believe Schmidt will be the GM for at least three years. Monfort values loyalty and stability and is not the kind of owner who takes big chances. Also keep in mind that the Rockies have, historically, employed their GMs for long periods of time: Bob Gebhard (1992-99), Dan O’Dowd (1999-14) and Bridich (2014-2021).

Is Dick Monfort likely to use the lockout as cover for not making significant upgrades to this squad (yet again)?

— Richard Cowden, Thornton

Richard, I believe the Rockies will make at least one significant upgrade via free agency when the lockout ends. From what I’ve been told, the Rockies are looking to sign a power hitter such as Kyle Schwarber or Kris Bryant. When the lockout ends, the free-agent market will be fast and furious and that might actually help the Rockies land a free agent or two.

It should be noted that Monfort is chairman of the owners’ labor policy committee and as we all know, the lockout is threatening to delay spring training and possibly wipe out regular-season games. Still, I don’t believe that means Monfort will sit on the sidelines when the business of building a baseball team begins again.

Patrick, I have heard players who are not members of the MLBPA are free to report to spring training if no collective bargaining agreement is reached. If that is the case, what players can we expect at Rockies spring training? If spring training does occur by April 1, will COVID protocols like last year be enforced, allowing no fan contact with players? It’s not the same without little kids waiting for autographs.

— Judy Frieman, Denver

Hi Judy, welcome back to the mailbag.

It’s my understanding that players who are not on the 40-man roster, including some of the Rockies’ top prospects like Zac Veen, Michael Toglia and Benny Montgomery, will report to minor-league spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 5 or 6.

As it stands now, I believe COVID protocols will still be in place throughout spring training (minors or majors). That has not been announced yet, so perhaps it will change, but I wouldn’t count on getting autographs for a while.

Some of the national reporting on Trevor Story speculates that a particular team that is interested in him (Seattle, for example) might sign him and have him play second or third. This past season, after Trea Turner was traded to the Dodgers and played second, I watched several games where the announcers commented that he was having some bumps in the road playing second because it wasn’t the same as playing shortstop. There seems to be an easy assumption that a long-time shortstop can switch to second or third without a problem. What is your take on this?

— Dave, Fort Collins

Dave, first of all, I believe Story is still a shortstop and will remain so with his new team. That could change but from everything I’ve been told, Story doesn’t want to switch positions.

If Story were to move to second or third, I don’t think it would be a major problem for him. I’m not saying it’s easy to make the switch. There are different throwing angles to get used to and different mechanics involved in turning double plays, etc. Story, however, is such a smart and talented athlete that I believe he could play any position in baseball except catcher or pitcher, and given time, he would excel at the position.

Patrick, in looking at the Hall of Fame ballot tracking, I noticed a large contingent of San Francisco writers (all actually outside of Susan Slusser…) failed to vote for Todd Helton. My question is, have you had conversations with these writers due to the (number) of times the teams played, and have they provided any justification as to why there is such an omission by such a large group?

— Jason, Visalia, Calif.

Jason, while I voted for Helton and obviously believe he belongs in Cooperstown, I rarely judge how my fellow writers vote for the Hall of Fame. I ask around a little bit, but not much. I don’t lobby other writers. We all have different points of view.

For example, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic voted for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, David Ortiz, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa and Omar Vizquel. Obviously, Baggerly is a critical judge about who gets in and who doesn’t. He only used six of his 10 votes. The steroid issue did not affect his vote as it did mine.

I did not vote for Bonds, Clemens, Sosa or Vizquel. We all have different standards on who belongs in the Hall of Fame and who doesn’t. Truth be told, I can understand why some voters — even those from San Francisco — didn’t vote for Helton. Although he is not a slam dunk candidate, I do think he’ll eventually get in and I’ll be thrilled when he does.

For the record, the estimable John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle also voted for Helton.

Patrick, I always enjoy reading your columns and your Twitter postings. I am a 70-something former player, not pro, and still a baseball fan. Having said all of this, and in the aftermath of the Nolan Arenado debacle last year, what is your assessment of our new GM and the Monfort ownership when it comes to signing a select free agent or two? One more, while I was frustrated with Jon Gray’s inability to go more than five innings, who do you see as our Nos. 4 and 5 starters for 2022?

— Van Bullock, Morrison

I tackled the topic of free agency in an early question, so I’ll field your pitching question here. With Gray now a member of the Texas Rangers’ rotation, I project the Rockies’ 2022 rotation to look like this:

* RHP German Marquez
* LHP Kyle Freeland
* RHP Antonio Senzatela
* LHP Austin Gomber
* RHP Peter Lambert

Waiting in the wings will be rookie left-hander Ryan Rolison, who’s now on the 40-man roster.