In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr coined the phrase: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”

The modern-day Colorado Rockies are a living embodiment of this quote. For over 30 years the team has struggled to find an identity and process for sustained success. The team has reached the postseason just five times and has only nine seasons with a record over .500 while also never having won a division title.

Time and time again we have seen the team flounder and sow the seeds of its own destruction. Change has certainly been a common thread throughout the Rockies’ history, as it should for any team, but meaningful change has eluded them.

After another 100-loss season in 2024, the Rockies did little to nothing to improve the roster in a meaningful way for 2025. Over the last weekend, it can be argued that they got worse overall.

Following an unfortunate injury to second baseman Thairo Estrada, wherein he broke his wrist and will miss a couple of months, the Rockies suddenly had to plug some holes.

Luckily for them, they had clear options in camp. Kyle Farmer could easily slot into second on a more regular basis while the team adds a utility infielder. Veteran Owen Miller had performed well enough in camp, showing off his defensive prowess across the infield. Aaron Schunk didn’t perform offensively, but the team likes his potential and defensive versatility. The team even considered carrying prospect Adael Amador after a strong spring training performance. The paths were clear for the Rockies to make a logical and simple decision for a temporary plan.

So of course they traded their starting left fielder for a utility player with a career .223 average.

The Rockies may claim that acquiring Freeman was a move of necessity and that it required moving Jones because “you have to give something to get something” but at its core, this is just a move of desperation and fear that keeps the status quo.

The team has become averse to drastic or even bold changes for fear of messing with the ecosystem. Manager Bud Black has made it fairly evident that he prefers veterans over younger players, at least positionally.

By trading Jones, the Rockies had a clear path to filling the outfield void. Certainly, they could allow young prospect Zac Veen a chance to play on the big league roster after his stellar spring training, continuing to usher in the youth movement.

So of course they optioned Veen to Triple-A and added 34-year-old Nick Martini to the big league roster.

The moves have understandably been lambasted by fans and the greater baseball media landscape. There are arguments to justify the moves, no matter how flimsy the justification may be, but the frustrations run deeper than just the desire to have a prospect on the roster.

At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that the Rockies continue to show their true face as a team stuck in their ways.

After six straight losing seasons, including the first 100 loss seasons in franchise history, there was hope that the Rockies would embrace some sort of change, some adjustment to their philosophy to their process in 2025.

There are hints they are capable of doing so as the Rockies have embraced a change in the bullpen with an influx of young talent mixed in with some veterans. They even made the somewhat surprising decision to waive Justin Lawrence early in camp. There is a healthier mix of pitchers with varying profiles instead of the pitch-to-contact types they have always pursued.

Change is possible, and yet they still don’t go far enough. The team can tout the additions of Farmer, Martini, and Freeman but we’ve seen players like them before. Who is Martini but this year’s version of Jake Cave?

For a “draft and develop” identity they try to espouse, the Rockies have done a poor job of fostering that mindset and being successful at it. There is a reason people think of the Rockies as one of the worst-run franchises in baseball, perhaps even sports, and nothing more than a team to point and laugh at.

At times it does feel they are nothing more than a sideshow attraction you’d just happen to check out en route to somewhere else. They do little to change the perception that they are just a farm team for the rest of the league.

Like many of you I was upset seeing the roster moves at the end of spring training. As I have thought about it over the last few days, I found that I was not surprised by the moves though. This is a team that preaches youth and development, yet doesn’t follow through. They will talk the talk and say the right things to give us hope and pay attention, but fail to walk the walk when the spotlight is on them.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still just a pig.

Sure, it’s important to remember that the roster will ebb and flow and evolve throughout the season. Just because someone isn’t on the Opening Day roster doesn’t mean we won’t see them. But how will a month playing in Triple-A be more beneficial for Veen than a month playing in the big leagues? Maturity can certainly come in Colorado just as easily as it does in Albuquerque.

The efforts of a team to continuously kick the can down the road with some misplaced code of making sure prospects and rookies pay their dues is misguided. It’s a pattern they have shown time and time again over the years that isn’t exclusive to just the manager. Although it has been more apparent during the Black era. Why is it that the team will trust a young pitcher more than they will a young hitter? The guidelines for how a player “earns” playing time seem incredibly vague and subjective. Learning how to ride on a big league plane shouldn’t impact the decision of whether to carry a player or not.

When I buy a new pair of shoes, I wear them every day so that I can break them in. The Rockies hesitate to do that, instead dipping a toe in the water to check the temperature.

Change is needed for the Rockies and they can’t allow themselves to be afraid to let a prospect play. If they struggled, that’s fine because it’s part of the learning process. If Veen needs more maturity, then go ahead and let him experience what he needs to against major league pitching. If you feel you need a safety net, then hold onto Jones and allow a different player to serve as a utility man, or just let Amador take a shot at second base. If the team wants to let players indicate that they are ready for the responsibility of winning, then give them the opportunity to do so. The strongest players are formed in the heat of the crucible.

No outside forces are pushing the Rockies one way or another. They control their own fate.

The Rockies are still who they choose to be.