Kris Bryant’s last at-bat in Rockies pinstripes happened a year ago this past Sunday. April 12, 2025. Haven’t seen him since.

“Hey, look, I get it — baseball is a business,” Bryant’s father Mike told me during a short conversation last spring. “They want (Kris) hitting 40 home runs and hitting .300 … you got your Todd Heltons for that, and you’ve got your other guys. Kris is happy. When it’s all said and done, (Denver fans are) going to look back on Kris favorably.”

As a person? Without a doubt.

As a contract? As an investment? No chance.

Which is where the Broncos enter the picture, riding to the rescue on The Penner Sports Group, fronted by Broncos owners Carrie Walton Penner and husband Greg Penner, now possesses a 40% stake in the Rockies. As reported by The Post’s Patrick Saunders last Friday, the Walton-Penners are the largest minority investors for Colorado’s Major League Baseball team, topped only by the Monfort family, who retain team control.

The Broncos needed leadership and money to get out of the darkness and back into the AFC Championship Game. The Rockies need … well, everything. But more money and better leadership would be two welcome steps in the right direction.

Because, lest we forget, the Broncos had to bottom out before starting their three-year climb. The Penners and Waltons went all-in on Russell Wilson. They got a 5-12 train wreck in 2022 to show for it, all while fans counted down the play clock. At home.

Sean Payton wanted to wash his hands of Russ, who was clearly toast. So the Broncos ate $85 million in dead cap money over the ’24 and ’25 seasons for cutting Wilson, the kind of hit that’s supposed to punish a franchise for its free-spending folly.

Only a funny thing happened: The Broncos got better. Much, much, much better. And fast. Bo Nix hit. Nik Bonitto hit. Jonathon Cooper hit. Quinn Meinerz hit. Brandon Jones hit. Talanoa Hufanga hit anything within six feet of him. A lot of shrewd drafting, a pinch of smart free-agent signings and good coaching hoisted the Broncos from outhouse to penthouse.

The road is longer for the Rockies, who’ve lost 100 or more games for three straight seasons and will flirt with a fourth. The NFL is designed for parity, competitive socialism at its finest. Major League Baseball is the last of the major North American sports leagues without a salary cap.

But the Broncos couldn’t move forward until they chucked Wilson’s contract overboard and let Payton build a roster in his image.

And any hope for a new dawn in LoDo, any tailwind that pushes the Rockies forward, starts with getting Bryant’s seven-year, $182-million contract off the stinkin’ books. And as quickly as possible.

Not his fault, mind you. Nice guy. Amazing dude. Bryant’s spirit, like his smile, was always willing. His body, alas, had other ideas.

Since signing with the Rockies in March 2022, KB23 has played in only 170 games over the first four years of his deal. In what’s amounted to basically a full season of stats over the last 48 months, KB’s Colorado line to date is 632 at-bats, 29 doubles, 17 home runs, 61 RBI, a .244 batting average and a .695 OPS.

In other words, for $26 million per season, the Rockies have gotten 42 games a year of (.244 career batting average, .695 career OPS) in the middle of the order.

The surface takeaway from the Walton-Penner family’s investment was that all that sweet Walmart dough would wipe away debt. Most MLB clubs lost some serious change with the collapse of regional sports networks — the Rox reportedly collected at least $57 million from AT&T SportsNet in 2023, the last season of their old TV contract.

Given inflation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that $57 million in March 2023 would’ve been worth $58.98 million in March 2024, $60.39 million in March 2025; and $62.4 million in March 2026.

That’s an estimated $181.7 million shortfall for the Monforts, even before factoring in returns from the direct-to-consumer/subscriber model. You need cash to patch the wound and stop the bleeding.

The other purple elephant in the Monforts’ room, of course, is Bryant, a deal that’s aging the way

A bad idea at the time looks even worse now. Counting this season’s salary, the Rox still owe Bryant, now 34, another $81 million through the end of the 2028 season.

Word leaked that Bryant was signing with Colorado the same day that Wilson was introduced as the new QB savior of the Broncos in Dove Valley — March 16, 2022, a date that will forever live in Front Range infamy.

The Waltons and Penners quickly saw the error of their ways, although it helped that NFL contracts aren’t guaranteed beyond the signing bonus. MLB deals are. Bryant is repped by Scott Boras, and baseball divorces aren’t cheap. An injury settlement feels like the most logical path at this point. Which is why it’s also not hard to picture the Monforts asking Walton-Penner and her husband if they’d like to chip in to help the Rockies get past their version of the Wilson deal.

“It’s just been very frustrating (here),” the elder Bryant told me. “We came in with high expectations for him to really enjoy himself and it was killing him (to not play). Then to listen to the B.S. that goes along, people running their mouths about how he wasn’t worth the contract …

“It’s not like he was trying to play at 80% (health). He was trying to play at 50%. You can’t do that in this game. There’s just too many good pitchers. It’s a brutal game.”

With brutal realities. If the Broncos can make two of the worst deals in Denver sports history go away, that would be almost as impressive as sticking a fork in the Chiefs’ AFC West dynasty.

So let’s get to a few of them:

• Will Broncos owners Greg and Carrie Walton Penner, the husband and wife team that form the Penner Sports Group, eventually become the controlling owners of the Rockies?

Such a deal is not imminent, but it wouldn’t shock me if it eventually happens. I’ve had a source close to the situation tell me there is no timetable for that to occur, but the source also told me it could very well happen down the line.

• Did Paul DePodesta, the Rockies’ new president of baseball operations, know about the deal when he left the Cleveland Browns to join the Rockies in November? Was he aware that the Penners were planning on buying a 40% ownership stake in the Rockies?

I’m told that DePodesta did not know that a deal was coming, meaning that his oft-quoted statement, “I’m a sucker for a challenge,” still rings true.

• Will Dick Monfort’s role as the owner of the Rockies change?

The short answer is no. He already backed away from his day-to-day involvement in the team when Walker Monfort, his oldest son, became team president. As Walker Monfort told me shortly before the season opened, “I’m more responsible for day-to-day than I have ever been, but I would say my dad is still the ultimate shot-caller, so to speak.”

• Will the Penners reduce their involvement with the Broncos and become hands-on owners at 20th and Blake?

Nope. As Denver Post Broncos beat writer Parker Gabriel put it: “The Penners are not going anywhere with the Broncos and the NFL. They will not have day-to-day roles with the Rockies, sources told The Post, and they are plenty busy with football.”

• The infusion of an estimated $672 million from the Penner Sports Group allows the Rockies to retire all of their outstanding debt. That provides additional capital that, theoretically, could be spent to increase player payroll. So, will the Rockies go on a spending spree this season? Or in the 2026-27 offseason?

That’s highly doubtful, for a couple of reasons. First, the team is still on the bottom floor of its rebuild and still assessing its talent level.

Second, even though the Rockies are playing better baseball than they did last season (how could they not?), it wouldn’t surprise me if the Rockies flirt with another 100-loss season. Spending big bucks now doesn’t make sense.

Third, and most important, it’s highly likely that Major League Baseball owners will shut down business with a lockout when the current collective bargaining expires in December. That’s going to complicate things and cool down any hot stove action.

• Will Dick Monfort abandon his quest for a salary cap and a more equitable financial landscape across MLB?

That’s a tongue-in-cheek question. I raise it because the Twittersphere has been filled with smart-aleck fans tweeting that the “suddenly wealthy” Rockies can now compete with the big boys. That’s not the case.

Plus, Monfort has a close relationship with baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and plans to be heavily involved in labor negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA. Monfort believes that baseball’s economic system is broken, and he wants to help fix it.

• The Dodgers, Yankees and Cubs all have their own lucrative television networks. Could the Rockies, eventually, do something similar?

This is pure speculation on my part, but it wouldn’t surprise me if, somewhere down the line, that happens, especially if the Penner Sports Group ever gains controlling interest in the Rockies.

• How can Broncos ownership invest in the Rockies when they already have a stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks?

This was also out in the Twittersphere. Here’s the deal: Last month, part of the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group that owns the Broncos, also has a 10% share of the D-backs. However, Greg and Carrie Walton Penner do not have a stake in the D-backs, thus allowing them to buy into the Rockies.

• Will the new ownership dynamic allow the Rockies to find a resolution to Kris Bryant’s contract situation?

It certainly appears that Bryant will never play baseball again because of lumbar degenerative disc disease. But, counting this season, he’s still owed $81 million through the 2028 season. One way or another, Bryant will get his guaranteed money. Can the Rockies work out a deal where Bryant would defer some of those millions of dollars? It’s possible, but I don’t think the infusion of the Penner’s money changes anything.

Every year, there are playoff teams that fall and bottom dwellers that make a surprising run to the postseason.

Sometimes the malaise lasts — it did in Denver for nearly a decade after winning Super Bowl 50. Sometimes it doesn’t — would it surprise anybody if Kansas City and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes were back in contention this fall?

Even in a sport where the wide-open on-field product is a feature rather than a bug, there are still power players and power centers.

As the NFL spring owners meetings in Phoenix wrapped up a couple of weeks ago with black SUVs idling to whisk multimillionaires and billionaires from the Arizona Biltmore to waiting jets, the Broncos had provided plenty of material to fill reporters’ notebooks.

On the field, Sean Payton and George Paton discussed the acquisition of Jaylen Waddle, the decision to move Jonah Elliss to inside linebacker, the upcoming draft and more.

Away from it, owner and ����apEO Greg Penner and president Damani Leech turned up the pressure on the club’s Burnham Yard stadium project, talked about their new, $175 million team headquarters nearing completion, the impact of hosting an AFC Championship Game and coming within four points of the Super Bowl and more.

Tangible stuff. Quite a bit of it.

Less obvious in some ways but just as palpable: The reality that, as they approach five years owning the Broncos, Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner are a growing power center in the NFL. Their stature is growing similarly in Denver and the state of Colorado, too.

Those points were driven home further on Friday when the couple, through their family entity Penner Sports Group, finalized the purchase of a 40% stake in the Colorado Rockies.

The Penners are not going anywhere with the Broncos and the NFL. They will not have day-to-day roles with the Rockies, sources told The Post, and they are plenty busy with football.

Not only are they waist-deep in the myriad, complex processes and business dealings that come with trying to build a new stadium and entertainment district — a project that, if everything progresses roughly along the team’s preferred timeline, will last another five-plus years — but they are set to move into their new HQ in June. They’ll be in the team’s draft room all three days, as they always are, later this month. They are overseeing projects like the team’s $8 million “All In. All Covered.” high school helmet program and other community initiatives. They’ll likely work out a contract extension with general manager George Paton in the coming months. On and on and on.

That����ap just the team. Between the pair, they also now serve on seven NFL ownership committees.

Carrie Walton-Penner: Health and safety, diversity and the NFL foundation.

Greg Penner: The powerful labor committee, compensation, ownership policy and finance.

Those committee assignments put Penner in the middle of the league figuring out whether and now how to invite private equity money into team ownership groups, determining compensation for commissioner Roger Goodell and, in the coming months and years, negotiating first with the NFL Referees Association on a new collective bargaining agreement and then with the NFL Players Association on the same. The biggest story at this year’s league meetings was about whether replacement referees will be needed this fall. As soon as next year, conversations about extending the NFL season to 18 games, growing the international slate, negotiations about player revenue shares and more will likely dominate the conversation.

Essentially, the Penners are in some way, shape or form involved in virtually every core issue the league will tackle in the short and intermediate future and probably the longer-range future as well.

Friday’s announcement about the Rockies stake changes nothing. It remains to be seen just how much their investment in Dick Monfort����ap team will be felt or seen immediately, though it very clearly puts the club in a much better cash position than it previously was.

It remains to be seen, too, to what degree the Rockies become part of the Penners’ overall influence and impact on Denver and Colorado sports. Perhaps it will be in the background for years and decades to come. Perhaps not.

What is clear this spring, though, is that they’ve gone from the new owners on the NFL block to among the league’s foremost figures in less than a half-decade. Ownership groups around the NFL have most certainly taken notice.

Along the way, the club has returned to prominence on the field and has planned a major facelift for part of central Denver.

In Phoenix recently and in the aftermath of Friday’s announcement, though, this all feels like it����ap still closer to the beginning than the pinnacle of the Penners’ influence in football and on the Front Range.

After two decades of operating the Rockies as a mom-and-pop grocery store, it was time for owner Dick Monfort to bring in Walmart as a partner.

In what amounts to a home run for baseball fans in this state and region, Monfort has agreed to sell a 40 % minority stake in the Rockies to the Penner Sports Group, composed of Broncos’ co-owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner.

With a roughly $672 million investment based on Forbes’ most recent $1.68 billion valuation, the Penners will provide funds to pay down debt and financial resources that give Monfort runway to determine his future vision for the franchise as a labor stoppage looms following this season.

For Monfort, it was past time in the national pastime to treat the Rockies as a civic institution. By bringing on the Penners, he shifts the conversation about his ownership from selfish to selfless. At last.

It is wise, if not belated, recognition that family-run sports teams are becoming archaic and lack the wherewithal to consistently chase championships.

Monfort has groused in recent years, including in an interview with The Post before the 2024 season, about Major League Baseball’s lack of a salary cap. The concern about competing became amplified with regional sports networks dissolving, siphoning a source of revenue for a Rockies team that is already heavily dependent on attendance.

In the most recent homestand, the Rockies posted their smallest crowds in Coors Field history.

But lost in that nadir is that Monfort finally realized in October that significant changes were needed.

His decision to promote son Walker Monfort to vice president and give him freedom to hire baseball president Paul DePodesta, general manager Josh Byrnes and a battery of new business people was the clearest signal that he understood how dormant the team had become after seven consecutive losing seasons.

Until Friday.

This is a seismic event. A grand slam for Rockies fans.

By bringing the Penners on board, it creates a pathway for the Rockies to become relevant.

In 34 seasons, the Rockies have managed only five playoff berths, never won a National League West title and appeared in one World Series in 2007, swept by the Boston Red Sox in a buzzkill end to the most magical run in baseball history.

The obvious question: Why wouldn’t Dick Monfort simply sell the team?

This is something understandably frustrated fans have been chirping about for years.

It was not time for that. On multiple levels. Could that change down the road? Perhaps.

But starting with conversations a year ago, the Penners were motivated to get involved rather than take over. This is not a palace coup. It is a partnership. But it is also one (heck) of a safety net.

The new partnership continues momentum for Monfort, which has been evident on the field with the team’s 6-7 record after starting last season 7-33 en route to losing 100 games for a third consecutive season.

And it gives the Penners an opportunity to become financially tethered without dealing with the minutiae of running another team.

Can we pause for a second and acknowledge the commitment to sports and this community the Penners have shown since the summer of 2022?

As they enter their fifth year owning the Broncos, they have built a $175 million team headquarters, moved forward on a privately-financed new stadium for billions of dollars, created a $12 million initiative to donate over 15,000 helmets to high school football teams and and turned the franchise from a laughingstock to a Super Bowl contender by hiring Sean Payton and signing players to in-house contract extensions for more than $400 million over the last 18 months.

To Colorado sports fans, it’s worth even more.

The Penners have shown at every turn that they are amazing stewards, setting a standard for excellence in everything from how their players travel and eat to how they increase alumni involvement.

Before you ask, their roles with the Broncos will not change. Owning the team has exceeded their expectations in how fulfilling, challenging and rewarding it has been. They will still attend practice a few days a week and mingle at the facility.

The Rockies, make no mistake, piqued their interest as a business investment.

Like many who have lived here, they recognize that baseball is a sleeping giant, a potential No. 2 sport in Colorado if Rocktober returns semi-annually. Coors Field, despite being the third-oldest ballpark in the National League, remains a destination spot with its timeless appeal and charm.

Fans have shown they will come if the team is good. It just takes several flips back in the calendar to remember when that was.

Overall, baseball is on the right track, benefiting from the pitch clock, eliminating shifts and creating the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System.

The Penners obviously saw this.

For the Rockies, for Monfort, this move makes sense.

Just look at all the Penners have done, how deep their pockets are, and how much they commit to ventures. They are unbelievably curious people who look for answers, never satisfied with the status quo or mediocrity.

They will learn baseball just as they did the NFL. There is no reason to think they cannot help make the Rockies better.

Everyone will wonder if they will eventually buy the team. That is for a later day and could hinge on the outcome of the labor talks, in which Monfort serves as a hawk in the negotiations for commissioner Rob Manfred.

Since back-to-back playoff berths in 2017 and 2018, the Rockies have nosedived, bottoming out with 119 losses last season.

By bringing in the Penners, Monfort is letting the respected neighbors down the street spruce up the place. Their money matters. But more than that, it provides hope for the future.

And for this city, this state and the fans, that is priceless.

Rockies chairman and CEO Dick Monfort and owner/general partner Charlie Monfort announced the move on Friday.

The addition of the Penner Sports Group, which owns a controlling interest in the Denver Broncos, will have a major impact on Colorado’s Major League Baseball franchise. Sources told The Denver Post that the Penners are purchasing a 40% share of the Rockies.

Greg Penner will remain CEO of the Broncos, and fellow primary owner Carrie Penner, his wife, will continue in her various roles with the team. The Penners will have no day-to-day involvement running the Rockies, a source said.

“We are excited to expand our commitment to the Denver sports community through a minority partnership with the Colorado Rockies,” the Penners said in a prepared statement. “This investment from Penner Sports Group reflects our deep appreciation for what the Rockies mean to this region, the passion of their fans and our confidence in the future of the franchise.”

According to Forbes, the Rockies are valued at $1.68 billion, ranking 25th among Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. The Penners’ investment equals about $672 million, and MLB has formally approved the deal.

According to the Rockies, the Penners’ investment allows the franchise to retire all outstanding debt and provides additional capital for the team.

The financial changes could help the Rockies become a bigger player in baseball’s current, uneven financial landscape, in which big-market teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees greatly outspend mid-market teams like the Rockies.

The Mets currently have a 40-man roster payroll of $357.2 million, the largest in MLB, The Dodgers ($322.6 million) and Yankees ($298.3 million), rank second and third. The Rockies ($120.5 million) are ranked 21st.

Renck: Rockies hit a home run for Colorado fans by bringing in Broncos owners

A source familiar with the deal told The Post that the Penners' 40% stake comes from a combination of existing partners and new equity. The Denver Post, a longtime minority owner with the Rockies, was the only shareholder to sell its entire stake.

Dick Monfort will continue in his role as chairman and CEO, Charlie Monfort will remain in his role, and Walker Monfort (Dick's son) will remain as the club’s president, running day-to-day operations.

“Speaking personally, on behalf of Charlie and our family, our other partners and the organization, we’re excited to welcome Greg and Carrie Penner into the Colorado Rockies ownership group," Dick Monfort said in a statement. "I’ve had the pleasure to build a strong relationship with Greg and Carrie over the past few years. For many reasons, including their recent success with the Broncos, we know we are gaining much more than just financial support in this partnership with Penner Sports Group.

"Greg and Carrie have proven that they share the same passion for our region and a strong commitment to compete at the highest level. We are thrilled to add them to the Colorado Rockies’ ownership group as we best position this franchise for long-term sustained success."

Negotiations between the Monforts and Penner have been ongoing for months, sources told The Post.

For long-suffering fans, relief

Rockies fans were excited by the news.

Phillip B. Foster II, whose family has held Rockies season tickets since the club's inception in 1993 and still attends about 30 Rockies games a season, said it was past time for changes.

"I think the best way to say it is that I feel a sigh of relief," said the 45-year-old Foster, a Denver resident who was a former bat boy for the minor league Denver Zephyrs. "I think this gives me, and other fans, a reason to want to keep going to games at Coors Field."

Loveland's Rece Lampe, 27, attended the Rockies' home opener this year and usually attends between seven and 10 games a season. He said it was time for a change.

"My initial response as a fan is very positive," he said. "This team needs some new direction and new blood, because of their lack of success over the past years.

"Getting a 40% stake from an ownership group that clearly wants to win, like the Broncos do, shows me that the Rockies are trying to change the vibe."

A major investment in Mile High baseball

The Rockies have endured seven consecutive losing seasons and have lost 100 or more games in each of the last three seasons. Last year, the club lost 119 games, tied with the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the third-most in a single season since 1901, ahead of the 2024 Chicago White Sox (41-121) and the 1962 New York Mets (40-120).

On Wednesday, the Rockies beat Houston for their fourth consecutive victory. However, the announced crowd at Coors Field was 15,189, marking the lowest home attendance in franchise history, excluding pandemic-affected seasons. The previous low crowd came on Monday night, with an announced crowd of 16,301.

The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, led by Greg Penner, Carrie Walton Penner, and Rob Walton, purchased the Broncos for $4.65 billion in August 2022. The Broncos are in the early in the process, but knee deep on the way to building a new stadium and entertainment complex at Burnham Yard.

"Our family’s had such a positive experience with the Broncos, reinforcing our interest in partnering with another team in this dynamic sports market," the Penners said. "We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Monforts and are grateful to join Dick and Charlie in the Rockies’ ownership group along with the other partners.

“While our focus remains firmly on the Broncos, we look forward to being supportive, long-term partners of the Rockies and Major League Baseball."

Dick and Charlie Monfort became the Rockies' majority owners in 2005. Forbes first valued the Rockies in 1998, just five years after their inception, at $303 million. Since then, the club has appreciated by more than 450%.

Denver Post Broncos beat writer Parker Gabriel contributed to this story.

“I’m listening to things that are happening so that it sounds better,” Greg “Hoffer” Hoffius, hunched over in Section 401, top o’ The Rockpile, told me on Friday while the Phillies were using the right-field scoreboard at Coors Field for target practice. “But I just watched the first half-inning, and I was like, ‘What?'”

Philadelphia 10, Bleak Street Bummers 1. Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen surrendered a touchdown in the top of the first. The Phils tacked one more each in the second and third. The Local 9 didn’t record a scoreless inning until the fourth.

What the heck happened to “our 2-4 start is better than the usual 2-4?”

“That’s narrative every year, right?” Hoffius said. “‘Hey, we killed it in spring training.'”

They spent Friday afternoon crushing souls. The Rockies’ Mickey Moniak lost Bryson Stott’s flyball to short right in the Colorado sunshine, playing it into a double and a 3-0 deficit.

“That was a good start,” Hoffius groused.

Brandon Marsh launched a 454-foot home run into the bullpen trees. 6-0.

“Oh, wow,” Hoffius’ buddy Ryan Masters said.

Double. Ground out to third. Trea Turner, batting for the second time in the half-inning, singled to right. 7-0.

“There ya go,” Hoffius quipped.

“Here we go,” Masters countered.

“No biggie,” Hoffius said.

Philly 7, Colorado 0. Where’s Bo Nix when you need him?

“It was sad,” Hoffer sighed. “It was crazy.”

Hoffius digs his Rockies through thin and thinner. Honest. He’s been coming to Coors for more than two decades, four or five games a year, almost always Opening Day, if he can swing it.

“I don’t pay attention like it used to, to be honest,” Hoffius continued. “And this is not that great. I don’t know. You just quit doing it. You know, after a while, you’re like, ‘Dude, they’re not going to do anything.'”

Except, maybe, break your heart.

“Wouldn’t it be cool to be, like, proud to be a Rockies fan?” Hoffer wondered out loud. “Right?”

Not this month. Not yet. Not when you’re taking your own crowd out of the game from the jump.

“I don’t know that (the Rockies) aren’t not spending money. It just doesn’t seem like it,” Hoffius said. “When you see what the Broncos did, they brought in the Waltons (the Walton-Penner Group) and they went, ‘Bam, bam, let’s fix this (expletive).'”

They also paid Russell Wilson to go the heck away, more or less, nipping a franchise-QB mistake squarely in the bud. Not the Rox. While we’re comparing historically awful 2022 contracts, the Rockies continue to keep a seat warm for Kris Bryant.

“I go to Nuggets games. I got to Avalanche games. It’s awesome to win,” Hoffius continued. “At the end of the day, the (Rockies) ask, ‘What’s our bottom line? ‘We’re still making the money. Are we going to make any more money with a better team?'”

With that, half the crowd went nuts again. The Philly half. 8-0, bad guys.

No baseball community dies harder, without reward, than the Rockies faithful, spring after spring. You feel for those who wear their purple hearts on their sleeves, such as Denver super fan Gregorio Banuelos, better known ’round these parts as “Mexican Elvis.”

About 90 minutes before the first pitch, I watched as a Phillies fan, head-to-toe in red, pinstriped replica garb, ran up to Banuelos on Blake Street and wagged a cocky, condescending finger in his face.

“You are losing!” the interloper shouted. “You’re losing!”

“The Rockies are going to score 22 runs on you, just for that,” Banuelos countered.

Poor Elvis. For most of the last seven years, Coors Field has been Banuelos’ Heartbreak Hotel.

“You know, I couldn’t care less,” Elvis shrugged. “Because I still support my home team. And I’m going to tell you something. I like when somebody says something like that. You know why? It makes them more excited. If everybody goes for the same thing, it’s not going to be any fun.”

9-0.

9-1.

10-1.

This is fun?

“They started slowly, but they’re going to figure it out,” Banuelos said. “I know they’re going to figure it out.”

It’s the hope that kills you. One April at a time. Even random TV shows are taking potshots now. Hoffius was watching the on Hulu recently when two characters, a young man and the title character,

YOUNGSTER: You’re real bad at this, bro.

DECKER: OK.

YOUNGSTER: Seriously, if breaking into cars were baseball, you’d be the Rockies.

DECKER: Well, maybe if I had a better teacher.

Hoffer just shook his head.

“I mean, that’s like, A-B-C, dude. Like, prime time, 7:30 (at night),” he said. “You’re like, ‘Ow. Wow.'”

10-1? Ow. Wow. New year. New players. New front office. New coaches. To Hoffius, Dick Monfort’s world looks just the same.

If my informal eight-man panel is correct, the Rockies will join Gil Hodges, Don Lock, and Claude Osteen in an infamous chapter in major league history. Hodges was the manager, Lock was the best hitter, and Osteen was the best pitcher for the 1964 Washington Senators. losing 100 or more games for the fourth consecutive season.

No major league team has done that since. But the 2026 Rockies will, at least according to my panelists.  Add up their predictions, divide by eight, and you get a 59-103 record.

I’ll start. I’m encouraged by the long-overdue front-office shuffle led by new team president Walker Monfort. And I’m intrigued by young players like third baseman Kyle Karros and Charlie Condon. But the reality for this season is that the starting pitching is still too thin over the long haul, and the offense too punchless to improve by 20 games over their 119-loss 2025 season.

Saunders’ prediction: 60-102.

Sean Keeler, Denver Post columinst

The season highlight might well be those long-overdue statue unveilings for Todd Helton and Larry Walker. Beyond that? Meh. The best thing about 2026 for the Rox is also the worst: The record won’t mean much. It’s a free hit for Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes. A honeymoon year. A transition year. A throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks year. It would be great to give a long-abused fan base some good vibes before Dick Monfort and his fellow Lords of the Realm torpedo 2027, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Keeler’s prediction: 62-100.

Kyle Newman, Denver Post sportswriter

The Fightin’ Rox will be better in 2026, but they are attempting to climb out of the abyss. This is going to take years to get competitive again, so book a fourth consecutive 100-loss season.

The starting pitching will be better, but the Rockies’ depth at that critical position remains thin. After an inevitable injury or two to starting pitchers, the season will unravel quickly. Also, the Rockies won’t hit for enough power once again, even though they’ll play better at home. Look for 2027 to be a true turning point year where Colorado can perhaps sniff a win total in the 70s.

Newman’s prediction: 60-102

Nate Peterson, Denver Post sports editor

Looking for a purple-and-silver lining for 2026, Rockies fans? Here it is: Colorado’s hard-luck MLB franchise will again be the worst team in baseball, but it will somehow, someway avoid the historical ignominy of four-straight 100-loss seasons.

No, Ted Lasso isn’t the skipper, but the arrival of Paul DePodesta, the addition of some crafty veterans on the mound and the development of young talent on the field will be enough to avoid the century mark for losses. The Rockies won’t be the 1962 Phillies, who improved by an MLB-best 34 wins. But they’ll be 20 wins better, which will feel like a miracle. 

Peterson’s prediction: 63-99

Troy Renck, Denver Post columnist

The Rockies will be terrible, but a light will replace an incoming train at the end of the tunnel. With a veteran starting rotation, improved health of shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle, and a versatile lineup that strikes out less, the Rockies will look like a major league team again. That is not meant as a backhanded compliment, but an indictment of the past regime. As the use of analytics and improved coaching takes hold as prospects develop, hope will return.

Renck’s prediction: 60-102

Jorge Castillo, ESPN baseball writer

Will they flirt with the wrong kind of history again?

Colorado finally hit the front-office reset button, hiring longtime executive Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations to replace general manager Bill Schmidt to course-correct. … DePodesta didn’t overhaul the roster over the winter, instead signing four players to contracts of one or two years and making minor trades. The Rockies will look to avoid disaster.

Keith Law, national baseball writer, The Athletic

I have the Rockies finishing with the worst record in baseball again, but winning 11 more games, and I’m not sure how strongly I can even defend that other than to say that it����ap very hard to be 119-loss bad two years in a row. They do have new people calling the shots in the front office, including Paul “The Revenant” DePodesta, and I expect some gains on the margins, but they’re going to need more than an Ezequiel Tovar breakout to get back to even 60 wins this year.

Dan Szymborski, FanGraphs baseball writer

If another NL West team shocks the Dodgers, it won’t be wearing purple-and-black.

So, when Coors looks at the seismic changes taking place at 20th and Blake, he tips his cap to Walker Monfort, the Rockies’ president, who has assumed many of the ballclub’s major duties from his father, Dick Monfort, the longtime owner and CEO.

“I’m proud of Walker for not worrying about breaking any china in the room and just saying, ‘You know what? We’re going to shake things up and see what works, see what doesn’t, and then tweak that,” said Coors, the 44-year-old and head of business relations since May of last year. He succeeded his father, Peter.

The Rockies certainly need shaking up. They are coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons and seven straight losing campaigns. Colorado bottomed out with 119 losses last year, with a mind-boggling minus-424 run differential that was the worst since the 19th century.

Since his promotion last June, Walker, 39, has overseen the hiring of Paul DePodesta (the president of baseball operations), new general manager Josh Byrnes, two assistant GMs, five new major league coaches, and more than a dozen new front-office personnel. His goal is to restock the team on the field and reshape the Rockies’ business model.

Sitting in the lobby of the Rally Hotel at McGregor Square, the mixed-use residential and retail complex adjacent to Coors Field that was developed by his father and his partners, Walker explained his vision for the Rockies, who open their 34th season on Friday night in Miami.

“I think the team and the organization are synonymous,” Walker said. “I think we can be ‘best in class’ amongst the teams that operate at our capacity. I’m talking about what I call mid-market teams.

“There is no reason why we can’t deliver consistent results and a winning team over the years to come. What we are trying to do now is build a framework for that.”

Walker points to teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cleveland Guardians as examples. Those franchises have experienced recent success even though they don’t have $300 million payrolls like the Dodgers, Mets, or Yankees.

“We want to be the best that we can, within that realm of teams like the Brewers,” he said. “We want to get to the playoffs — consistently. We want to be very proud of this organization and operation. We want the fans to be proud of it, too.”

Walker, who’s worked full-time in the organization since December 2009, now oversees both baseball and business operations, but clarifies that by adding, “I’m more responsible for day-to-day than I have even been, but I would say my dad is still the ultimate shot-caller, so to speak.”

Dick Monfort: ‘It was past time for a change’

The elder Monfort, who turns 72 in April, has been a frequent target of criticism from Rockies fans and the media. He agrees with many observers’ opinions that a change was needed. And overdue.

Asked if it was tough to turn over the reins to his son, Dick replied, “Yeah. But I think it was time for me, and it was probably time a ways back.”

He explained that his leading role on Major League Baseball’s labor committee and his hopes to spearhead economic reform in the sport are taking up much of his time, especially with MLB’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Dec. 1. A lockout by MLB owners seems almost certain.

Dick, who spent 25 years in the cattle business and was the former president and CEO of ConAgra Red Meats, is used to juggling multiple jobs. But, as he’s gotten older, he realized there was too much on his plate.

“I was probably more spread out more than I should have been, to be in a position I was with (the Rockies),” Dick said. “And there was the frustration of our last three or four years, whatever it’s been.

“And watching the sport deteriorate in terms of the haves and have-nots and us sliding to the bottom, then the fallout of the TV deals … Dealing with all of those things, I think I’m just worn down.”

He also knew that the Rockies needed to make significant changes, though he admits he wouldn’t have shaken things up to the extent his son has.

“Well, listen, I knew that we were going to have to change direction on the baseball side,” he said. “We were going to have to get new minds in there.

“I knew that it was always easier, and it made sense to promote from within. That����ap the way I was in the beef business. But it was obvious we needed to do something. So yes, we would have changed. But to the degree that it has changed under Walker? No.”

And what does the father think about what his son has done so far?

“He’s rattled things, for sure,” Dick said. “He handled the entire interview process of the baseball guys. I didn’t do anything. He told me when we were going to meet or when we were going to have a Zoom call. But he took charge.”

Paul DePodesta and the front-office shuffle

Time and the Rockies’ record will be the ultimate judge of Walker’s moves and his vision for the franchise. But before the first pitch of the 2026 season has been thrown, he’s hitting a home run.

DePodesta was on Walker’s radar from the beginning and was his first choice to be president of baseball operations. Walker did a lot of homework, and after an initial phone call, two Zoom sessions, and an in-person interview, DePodesta was hired by the Rockies on Nov. 7.

DePodesta, who left a 10-year job with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns to return to baseball, did his homework, too, before taking on the Rockies’ job and proclaiming, “I’m a sucker for a challenge.”

“I’ll say this, I asked around about Walker — a lot — before I took the job,” DePodesta said. “Everybody just had glowing reviews of Walker, both as a person and as a professional. I knew he was someone I wanted to work with. I wouldn’t have come otherwise.”

Manager Warren Scheaffer added, “Walker is very driven. That trait, mixed with his undying and lifelong love for the organization, can yield very good results. He’s also a forward thinker and not afraid to try new things to push this place forward.

“He’s also very down to earth and keeps it light. But making this organization a winner, year after year, is absolutely first on his mind. Walker offers a fresh perspective with youthful vigor. The changes he made this winter, starting with bringing in Paul, have been bold and set us on a new path.”

Brian Jones, director of research and development, who’s entering his 25th season with the organization, said the Rockies have taken a big step forward in the ever-evolving world of baseball analytics, an area where the team has lagged behind for years.

“Walker has fully bought into investing in the process,” Jones said. “He recognizes the importance of building out both the technological infrastructure and adding high-level personnel, on and off the field.”

In September 2023, as Colorado was on the verge of losing 100 games for the first time, The Post produced a four-part series called “The Rockie Way.” The Post found a franchise that lagged behind innovative industry leaders and remained stuck in the middle ground between going all-in for a championship and rebuilding its roster without ever fully committing to either.

But by promoting Walker, that perception might be changing.

The kid from Eaton High School

Walker, along with his younger brother, Sterling, Colorado’s director of professional scouting, has had a lifelong love affair with baseball. The two kids ran around Coors Field, sometimes joined by David Coors.

“My brother, dad, and I were all huge baseball fans,” Walker said. “It was probably our No. 1 sport. We like all of the sports, but we have always followed baseball.

“My first favorite player was either Larry Walker or Ken Griffey Jr. I grew up in that realm. I loved watching Barry Bonds. But closer to home, it was Larry and Todd (Helton).”

Walker graduated from Eaton High School in 2005 and was part of Walker, who played second base, left field, and designated hitter, won four state championships: state high school titles in 2003-04 and summer Legion B titles in 2003-04. In Eaton’s 8-5 win over La Junta in the 2004 Class 3A state title game, Walker delivered a key, RBI single in the fifth inning as the Reds won their fourth consecutive prep championship.

“He was a great kid and would do anything you would ask,” Danley recalled. “He was eager to please and always trying to improve one aspect of his game or another. He was very good under pressure, and he put up a lot of great at-bats for us in clutch times. He was an invaluable guy for us.”

Walker called himself “a late bloomer, who could hit and was an on-base percentage guy.”

“I was probably 5-foot-2 to begin my high school career,” he said with a laugh. “I might have grown a little bit. I was 5-2, 5-3 in my junior year. I grew 9 to 10 inches from the start of my senior year to my freshman year at Colorado State.”

Filling his father’s shoes

Walker was a mediocre student at CSU, earning a degree in broadcast journalism and communications with a minor in business. His dad recalled a conversation he once had with a friend who had seats near his at Coors Field. Dick’s friend was bragging about his kid’s academic prowess.

“I told my friend, ‘I had two kids, at the same time, on the dean’s list at CSU,’ ” Dick recalled, chuckling as he told the story. ‘So, my friend is thinking, ‘He’s going to one-up me here.’ So I said, ‘One was on the dean’s good list, and one was on the (expletive list).’ ”

Dick’s daughter, Lyndsey, now a doctor, was the good student.

“Walker wasn’t a good student, but he’s a smart kid,” Dick said. “I probably partied too much in college, too, but Walker never shied away from work.”

Just as important, Walker was never “the fortunate son,” even though he grew up in the most prominent family in Greeley.

“You would never imagine that he came from the background that he does with wealth and all of those things,” Danley said. “He was definitely one of the guys. He liked to laugh, joke and have a good time. He had a very outgoing personality. He knew just how far to go without going too far. He was a great kid to have around.”

Walker and David Coors see each other fairly often, usually at Rockies games or at charity functions around Denver. They have talked about their shared challenge.

“I have had big shoes to fill following my father’s footsteps, and I’ve talked to Walker about that,” Coors said. “We can relate to that on the basis of these great organizations that our fathers and forefathers built — and what that means for us.

“What I love about Walker is that he has seen the organization from every angle and he’s worked it. We both have a family principle: You don’t get inserted at the top. You’ve got to earn your way to the top. My dad started with Coors at a wastewater treatment facility. I started as a sales rep in Indianapolis.”

Climbing the franchise ladder

During his college days, Walker worked summers for the Rockies as a member of the grounds crew at Coors Field, in the visiting clubhouse, in the ticket office, and on the gameday promotions team. He impressed people with his diligence and hard work.

“I remember Dick coming to me first and saying he wanted Walker to see behind the scenes in multiple departments — and you’re one of them,” recalled Mark Razum, the head groundskeeper at Coors since its inception. “I was kind of nervous about the whole deal. I was like, ‘Oh, here’s the owner’s son working on the crew. How’s that going to work? What if I have to get on him?’ But it was great. There was no favoritism.

“‘Walk’ wanted to learn the job; he wanted to be hands-on. He wanted to be there late at night and be there the next morning.”

After graduating from CSU in December 2009, Walker joined the Rockies full-time, starting on the bottom rung of the player development department, sometimes tasked with driving minor league players around during spring training. He had to pass an intense interview with former GM Dan O’Dowd to land the job. But Walker had to pass a final test from his dad to secure the job.

“Walker called me and said, ‘Dad, I’ve got the job, but there is a problem,'” Dick recalled. “I said, ‘OK, what’s the problem?’ He said he was going to take the month of January off with Bubba — his best friend and roommate — to travel.

“I said, ‘That����ap no problem.’ He said, ‘It����ap not?’ I said, ‘There will be other jobs.’ So Walker postponed the trip and took the job.”

As Walker worked his way up the Rockies’ ladder, his dad often sat back, observed, and asked around about how his son was doing. The feedback was positive. When it became clear last summer that longtime team president Greg Feasel was approaching retirement, Walker told his father that he was ready to run the Rockies’ day-to-day operations.

Upon hearing that, Dick flashed back to his own career and his own father, the cattle baron who revolutionized the beef industry and died in 2001 at age 71 after suffering for years with emphysema.

“When my dad got sick in 1989, I was in charge of about 60% of this huge company, and I was just 35,” Dick recalled. “My dad told me he couldn’t do it anymore. He said, ‘I don’t wanna leave you to have to do all of this.’ I said, ‘Dad, I can do it.’ That’s almost the exact words that Walker told me. So here is my kid saying he could handle it. So I said, ‘Let����ap do this.’”

Walker’s rebuilding blueprint

Walker stressed that he’s not flying solo. If, for example, the Rockies have a major trade pending or plan to spend millions on a free agent, it will be a team decision.

“For any baseball moves, Paul (DePodesta), Josh (Byrnes) and his team are the ideators,” Walker said. “They are the ones who are coming up with what we could or should potentially do. It worked that way this offseason.

“I would say that my dad and I are not ideating. … Ultimately, our job — my job, specifically this past year — is to establish the budget. Then Paul is sitting down with both of us, saying, ‘This is what we want to do. And here is the why behind it and what we think it could mean for our team for a few years to come.’ Then we decide.”

Despite their woeful record and just one playoff victory since 2009, the Rockies continue to draw crowds at Coors Field, though many games are packed with fans wearing opposing teams’ colors. Colorado ranked 16th out of 30 in the majors in attendance last season, with 2.4 million fans, according to Baseball Reference. However, the Rockies’ average of 29,687 per game marked the first time since 2007 (28,797) that they failed to average 30,000 (excluding the pandemic-affected 2020-21 seasons).

Walker’s worn it all: the losses, declining interest, and public criticism of the team and his father, all while watching the Broncos, Nuggets, and Avalanche make the playoffs and chase championships.

But he sees the 2026 season as a new beginning.

“Yes, over the past couple of years, it����ap been very difficult,” he said. “But at the same time, it makes me feel like, ‘Hey, I think if we did some things differently, if we change course, we can take this organization in a different direction.

“We have the ability to do it. That����ap really exciting, and I’m very motivated because the people I brought on board are just as motivated. I think our players are motivated. And it����ap because we have changed course.”

It’s a question I field often from Rockies fans, both ardent and casual.

It’s a fair question. After all, the front office underwent a major house cleaning during the offseason, so why not bring in a new manager, too? And the Rockies posted a poor 36-86 record (.321 winning percentage) under Schaeffer as interim manager. He replaced Bud Black last May when the Rockies opened the season 7-33.

Schaeffer won over most of the Rockies players quickly, but, fielding a young, inexperienced team, Colorado limped toward the finish line, going 4-21 in September.

So there was no guarantee that Schaeffer would return, and many baseball pundits said the Rockies needed to bring in a veteran, old-school manager to clean things up.

I have my reasons why Schaeffer returned, but I wanted to find out why Walker Monfort, the Rockies’ new team president, wanted the 41-year-old back in the dugout.

Here’s what I found out:

• They have known each other since Monfort’s early days working in the Rockies’ players development department when Schaeffer was a minor league player.

“I have known Warren for probably 15 years,” Monfort said. “I used to give him meal money when I worked in minor league operations. So, I’ve known Warren for a long time. And, obviously, I’ve gotten to know him better over the last few years, when he’s been at the major league level.”

Before Schaeffer replaced Black, he served as the third base coach and infield instructor, beginning in 2023.

• Schaeffer is a “people person and that counted for a lot.

“After we replaced Buddy, I started sitting down with Warren on a regular basis,” Monfort said. “I think we met the first game of every homestand for basically the rest of the season. I wanted us to get to know each other a little better.”

Monfort also wanted to pick Schaeffer’s brain on what the team needed to turn things around.

“We talked a lot about the processes we needed and the technologies that he had heard about that we didn’t have yet,” Monfort said. “The one big thing I got to know about Warren, through conversations with him and then through conversations with players and other front-office personnel, is that he is a people person.”

In November, when the Rockies hired Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations, one of his first tasks was to huddle with Monfort and team owner Dick Monfort (Walker’s father) and pick a manager.

“Paul, in his original interview, said that being able to relate to people and communicate is the most important thing for a modern-day manager,” Monfort said. “So ultimately, Warren was just the right fit. So when it came down to it, my dad and I had thought Warren deserved the opportunity.”

• Schaeffer has deep roots in the organization.

He was drafted by Colorado in the 38th round of the 2007 draft out of Virginia Tech. After his playing career ended in 2012, he spent 10 seasons, mostly as a manager, in the Rockies’ minor league system.

“I think everybody in the organization who came to know Warren wanted us to go this route,” Monfort said. “He’s been a Rockie for a long time.”

• DePodesta and Schaeffer were a good match.

“We wanted whoever came in (as team president) to ultimately make the call,” Monfort said. “But the nice thing was that ‘Schaeff’ has the attributes that Paul values most as a manager. So, it was fairly easy. It was natural.”

• Schaeffer’s process and work ethic.

“He’s committed and disciplined,” Monfort said. “You can see what great shape he’s in. I think that tells you something.”

• Schaeffer is super motivated.

“Motivation is the word to describe what’s going on here, and I think that’s true for all of us,” Monfort said. ” ‘Schaeff’ is incredibly motivated. He wants to prove he’s the right guy for the job.”

If there’s a lesson from Kris Bryant’s time — or lack thereof — with the Rockies, it’s that.

As we celebrate the return of another blessed baseball season, the diamond wonks on the Grading The Week team wanted to clarify a few things to the Cubs fans in the Front Range and all across the world watching the latest in the Bryant saga.

First, the majority of Rockies fans don’t dislike Kris Bryant. Or shouldn’t. Not personally. Not even professionally, really. The man’s a symptom of franchise ineptitude. Not the cause.

He’s done. Nobody wants to say it, because of lawyers and agents and agendas. But everybody’s thinking it. Bryant showed up at Camelback Ranch in pain last week and was put on the 60-day disabled list to open the season, with no clear timetable for a return.

There are no winners here. It’s just … sad. Sad and stupidly expensive. The Rockies’ third baseman/outfielder/DH isn’t dodging If anything, there’s a chance he’s shortened his career by actively trying — and pushing — to come back and justify Colorado’s expense. Especially in 2022 and ’23, the first two seasons of that deal, when the Rox were desperate and the ink had barely dried.

Second, none of this happens without Nolan Arenado. Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.

In other words, they messed up twice.

Worse yet, they gave in twice to desperation — and set the franchise back about a decade, competitively, in the process.

Kris Bryant saga gets sadder — D

In February 2021, the Rockies slammed shut their own competitive window, one that had peaked too briefly in 2017 and ’18, by trading Arenado and $51 million to the Cardinals for Austin Gomber and four stiffs. By the end of August 2025, none of those five players were on an active MLB roster.

In March 2022, roughly a year after the worst trade in franchise history, they decided to fill the Nolan-sized hole they’d created themselves by giving Bryant a seven-year deal.

Insiders winced. Pundits shrugged. The nicest thing anybody said at the time was that it looked like an overpay for a guy who was about to land on the wrong side of 30.

And as we know now, sadly, he landed with a thud. Bryant’s played just 170 games in purple. He appeared in 48 games over the last two seasons. It’s anybody’s guess whether he’ll suit up ever again.

That’s $233 million in payroll — $51 million to the Cardinals and $182 million to KB23 — that could have been used toward improving the roster while Arenado was still here. And should have, in hindsight.

The Rockies signed Bryant to be their David Wright, and they got it — only it was Wright after the age of 30, when a lower back stress fracture for the ex-Mets star led to spinal stenosis and, eventually, retirement in 2018 at 35 years old.

Bryant turns 35 next January. His $182 million is guaranteed. Super agent Scott Boras got him the money — and made Monfort look like a fool for giving it.  Now they’re among the loudest hawks on opposite sides of a potentially ugly labor impasse that looms once MLB’s collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1.

Monfort is pushing for a salary cap. Boras is drawing a hard line against a hard cap and warning his clients not to cross it.

Bryant, meanwhile, looks trapped in the middle — while the labor tussle to come makes it even less likely that Boras would recommend one of his clients do Monfort a solid and negotiate a more painless settlement. Are you kidding?

If Rox fans want to point fingers, they should point them at the owners and agents who steered this car off a cliff. Don’t hate the player. Hate the guys who broke a franchise’s back in order to make him their poster child.