Sunday Thoughts: Jose Reyes' comments speak volumes about the Colorado Rockies

There is no longer a reason to recap the Colorado Rockies games. Anyone still following knows the story line. They don’t need another brutal reminder every single day.

However, on Sunday morning, The Denver Post Rockies beat writer Nick Groke wrote a piece about Jose Reyes and his thoughts about being with the Rockies. It was something that echoed thoughts that Reyes had made a couple of weeks ago, but was more direct and to the point. It was made clear, Reyes doesn’t want to be a Rockie.

In the piece, Reyes tells Groke “I’m at the place in my career where I want to win, I’ve said it over and over. I want to win. I don’t want to spend the rest of my career with a last place team.”

The comment should infuriate any Rockies fan. It should immediately cause fans to run to Baseball-Reference.com and check out Reyes declining stats, specifically as he has gotten older. It should make them upset that he has been on the team for less than a month and is so willing to disrespect possibly the only team in the league willing to eat his gigantic salary.

First off, it is clear that not only is Reyes not a guy who the Rockies should desire to have in the clubhouse, he clearly doesn’t live in reality. One look at his .703 OPS (on-base + sluggling percentage) in 2015 and it is clear that his $22 million deal annually is completely out of whack. Who Reyes thinks he is isn’t anything close to who he actually is. He is on the wrong side of 30 and isn’t getting any younger.

However, once fans cool down from their “look whose calling the kettle black” anger, they should realize something. Reyes comes from the outside of the Rockies organization mid-season. He comes from a team that was on the winning track and has been with a total of three other organizations, two of which have had moments where the dysfunction was arguably as bad as the Rockies.

Reyes may not be able to assess his own talent, but he might have a sobering truth for the Rockies and their fans. This isn’t a team that has just been unlucky with injuries and it isn’t a team that is just a few decent prospects away from being a contender. Reyes has had a chance to see how the franchise is run, top-to-bottom, and it is clear what he sees.

His comments don’t reflect the 2015 season. He isn’t saying that he doesn’t want to finish out the season on a last place team. What Reyes is saying goes far beyond 2015. He is saying that from his perspective, the Rockies aren’t just a last place team that is going to rebuild, but instead that they are a last-place team that has the mindset of a perennial basement dweller.

What it sounds like he is saying is that the Rockies aren’t just rebuilding, they are run like a team that doesn’t have their eyes on the prize.

The Rockies and their fans can pretend like they are a few good things happening away from being a serious contender, but Reyes’ comments make it clear. This isn’t a team that will be good anytime soon. This isn’t a team that has championship aspirations. The comments suggest that there are deep issues. This isn’t a team that is a few decent moves away from being respectable.

The comments Reyes made spoke volumes about how the rest of the baseball world views the Rockies. They see them as a doormat that isn’t on the rise, but rather, that they are on a perennial downward spiral. It should act as a wake-up call to the organization. This thing is a mess and it needs an overhaul, not a quick sweep.