Colorado Rockies: Former GM Bridich made one good controversial decision this offseason

This past offseason, the Colorado Rockies now former General Manager Jeff Bridich made a move that led many fans in Denver to be up in arms over the decision.  It is a quarter of the way through the season and it turns out that it may have been the correct call.

No, I am not talking about the blockbuster Nolan Arenado trade to St. Louis that completely alienated the fan base. I am talking about the decision to release the former 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft and one-time All-Star, David Dahl.

Dahl’s career in Colorado was filled with a ton of promise but was also riddled with injuries.

In 2016, he burst into the big leagues late in the season with a 17-game hitting streak and hitting safely in 34 of his first 37 career games.

Sadly after that, the injuries came for the Rockies outfielder

David Dahl missed nearly the entire 2017 season after a stress fracture in his ribs during spring training lingered throughout the year. He only played 19 games in the minors and none in the majors.

A foot fracture the following season knocked him out of the lineup for a couple of months.  Then after an incredible first half in ’19 which propelled him to an All-Star selection, a sprained ankle kept him from only appearing in 100 games that season.

Finally, after only playing in 24 of the shortened 60-game season last year, the Rockies got tired of waiting for him to stay healthy and reach his potential and non-tendered him.

After his release in December, Dahl signed a one-year deal worth $2.7 million with the Texas Rangers.

So far with the Rangers, Dahl has stayed healthy but hasn’t done much at the plate.  He is hitting .224/.259/.366 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 16 runs scored, with 38 strikeouts in 134 at-bats.  Those numbers are actually an improvement considering he is 14 for his last 49 at-bats (.286) in the last 15 games including a modest 7-game hitting streak.

At the time, many believed that the release of Dahl was a mere financial move considering the effect the pandemic has had on the economy but it turns out that Jeff Bridich may have been correct and released him due to lack of performance on the field.