From Division Rivals to Opposite Realities: How the Dodgers Rose While the Rockies Crumbled
Nobody knew it in 2018 when they tied atop the NL West, but the two teams were about to head in radically different directions.
DENVER, CO — Remember when the Rockies and Dodgers were almost like rivals? For about twelve minutes? Yeah, that was cool.
On October 1, 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies met at Chavez Ravine for Game 163 to decide the NL West title. Both teams finished the regular season with 91 wins, both were playoff-bound, and both looked poised for sustained contention.
Six and a half years later, the two franchises are no longer peers—they’re polar opposites.
Since the start of the 2019 season, the Dodgers have compiled a staggering 612–337 (.645) record and captured two World Series titles. The Rockies, meanwhile, have gone 377–570 (.398) and are barreling toward a third straight 100-loss season. When the two teams met at Coors Field this week, the standings revealed a 29.5-game chasm. That gap tells a much bigger story—about resources, leadership, and vision.
The Dodgers Double Down
The Dodgers’ rise is the result of organizational commitment at every level. Under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, hired in 2014, the team has built an unparalleled blend of star power, depth, and sustainability. The Dodgers invest heavily in analytics, player development, and international scouting. They churn out talent like Will Smith, Andy Pages, and Gavin Stone, still acquiring superstars like Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Their advantage isn’t just on the field—it’s financial. A landmark $8.35 billion TV deal with Time Warner Cable in 2014 provides an average of $334 million annually. This not only fuels their big payrolls, but also allows creative contract structuring. Ohtani’s $700 million deal, for example, defers $680 million until after 2034, helping the Dodgers stack elite talent while remaining flexible.
As a result, they’ve become the franchise that free agents want to join. Players see October baseball as an annual certainty. The brand has become synonymous with excellence.
The Rockies Stand Still
The Rockies’ story since 2018 has been one of inertia and insularity.
Colorado’s front office has remained virtually unchanged in structure for decades. The organization is often described as resistant to modern analytics and reluctant to embrace external voices. Dick Monfort remains one of the few owners in MLB with an active hand in baseball operations—and his son Sterling is the assistant GM.
After back-to-back postseason appearances in 2017–18, the Rockies extended franchise cornerstone Nolan Arenado, then soured the relationship and traded him. They let Trevor Story and Jon Gray walk. They’ve repeatedly misfired in free agency—most notably with Kris Bryant, who has played in just 170 games since signing a $182 million deal in 2022.
The team also suffers from built-in disadvantages, particularly at Coors Field. Pitchers fear inflated ERAs. Position players struggle with recovery due to altitude changes. As Bryant noted in 2022, “It’s no joke. It definitely is [a challenge].”
But perhaps most damaging has been their draft-and-develop struggles. From 2013–2022, Rockies draftees have accumulated just 9.8 WAR, the lowest in MLB. The Dodgers, by contrast, rank among the top five. Players like Jordan Beck and Brenton Doyle offer hope, but the pipeline is thin.
And unlike the Dodgers, the Rockies are losing financial ground. Their RSN deal with AT&T SportsNet ended after 2023, and their new in-house broadcasting arrangement is reportedly operating at a significant loss. Fewer dollars. Less talent. Diminishing appeal.
Strategy vs. Stagnation
The most revealing comparison may be in how each team approaches failure. The Dodgers constantly evolve. They revise pitching plans, test new biomechanical tools, and find undervalued assets like Teoscar Hernández. They think months ahead—to October, not just to the end of the regular season.
The Rockies, on the other hand, emphasize continuity—sometimes to a fault. When Bill Schmidt was promoted to GM in 2021, he called the Rockies a “scouting, draft and develop” organization and pledged, “that’s not going to change.” And it hasn’t. Even as the results decline, the philosophy remains untouched.
That rigidity has cost them dearly. In 2024, they lost 121 games. In 2025, they’re on pace to lose more. They’ve already set franchise records for most consecutive series losses and may soon own the worst run differential in modern MLB history.
Two Franchises, Two Futures
While the Dodgers added nearly half a billion dollars in guaranteed contracts this past offseason, the Rockies are clinging to what little fan hope remains. They’ve been left behind not only by their rivals, but by the entire league.
And the fans know it. As The Denver Gazette noted, anger and frustration in Denver have reached a fever pitch. Every series against the Dodgers serves as a painful reminder of what could have been.
The Dodgers are a dynasty in motion. The Rockies are a time capsule—stuck in 2018, hoping that grit and a few homegrown players can someday close a canyon-sized gap.
But until Colorado modernizes, innovates, and invests with intention, this won’t be a rivalry. It will be a rerun.
And we all remember how Game 163 ended.
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