Walt Weiss believes the Rockies are close to becoming a legitimate playoff contender. He also believes he is the right man to lead them.

He likely won’t get a chance to prove it, however.

Weiss’ three-year contract expires after Sunday afternoon’s season finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field, which very well could be his last game as Colorado’s manager. His tenuous status is not simply a matter of his losing record — 283-363 heading into Saturday night’s game. It also has to do with his strained relationship with general manager Jeff Bridich.

A significant gulf has developed between Weiss and Bridich, according to multiple sources within the organization, some of whom said Weiss has been been left out of the loop regarding major decisions dating to the offseason — when he was not consulted about the acquisitions of relievers Jason Motte, Chad Qualls and Jake McGee or outfielder Gerardo Parra, all of whom have had disappointing seasons this year.

Asked about his relationship with Weiss, Bridich said he “didn’t think it was appropriate to publicly discuss my personal relationship with anyone on our staff,” including Weiss.

Asked specifically about his working relationship with Weiss, Bridich said: “The working relationship is evolving and continues to evolve. … There has been mostly good communication, some great communication and some periods where he’s busy and I’m busy and we haven’t communicated as well as we could have. That’s a natural thing for the job that he has and the job that I have.”

As for Weiss being left out of the loop of major decisions, Bridich said, “I’m not going to respond to rumor mongering.”

Change of Direction

Bridich, who took over as general manager after the 2014 season, said he and Weiss will meet this week to discuss the season. Rockies owner Dick Monfort also will be involved in any final decision regarding Weiss’ future.

“We will go through the same process as we did last year,” Bridich said. “That is, sitting down after the season is done and having conversations and talking about how the season went and talking about the future.”

There’s a belief by many within the organization that Bridich may want to hire his own manager, someone more in tune with his baseball philosophies and vision. Weiss was hired by previous general manager Dan O’Dowd after a disastrous 2012 season in which the Rockies lost a club-record 98 games. Bridich replaced O’Dowd two years later.

Weiss has managed all season knowing that he was in the final year of his contract. He said there was never any discussion about a contract extension.

“It doesn’t necessarily bug me,” Weiss said. “I only want to be where I’m wanted. If I’m not wanted, I just leave. It’s one of my rules in life. I don’t stay anywhere where I’m not wanted. I just go, I just disappear. … I want to make sure that people want me, from top to bottom. If not, I don’t want to be here.”

Asked if he believes Bridich and Monfort have already reached a decision on his future, Weiss said, “Probably. I would think so. I think that those guys want to get their ducks in a row.”

Playoff Possibilities

The Rockies, 75-85 entering Saturday night’s game against Milwaukee, will finish with a losing record for the sixth consecutive year. Since taking over for Jim Tracy, Weiss has a .438 winning percentage, the lowest of any of Colorado’s six managers.

Bridich said Weiss’ record will not be the only factor taken into account on whether he will make a move.

“In a decision-making process like this, it’s not totally or fully dependent on some sort of win-loss record or this or that,” Bridich said. “There are a lot of factors that go into it. That’s how it should be. It’s not that simplistic.”

Bridich and Weiss believe that Colorado’s young, powerful lineup and improved starting pitching have put the team in a position to contend for the playoffs next season. Weiss believes he can help take the Rockies to the next level.

“There is no question in my mind,” he said. “I am very confident in my abilities as a baseball man. I say that very matter-of-factly. I don’t want to say it as a sign of arrogance. I have been around winning cultures my whole life. I’ve played in (three) World Series and played with some of the best teams of the modern era. I know what winning looks like. I know what it takes to win.”

Weiss played in 13 postseason series in his 14-year career, and the 1989 Oakland team he was on won the World Series.

Clubhouse Culture

Though he has been frustrated by his inability to field a winning team as manager, Weiss believes he has helped turn around the clubhouse culture.

“It’s not just been me, it’s been the whole staff,” Weiss said. “But I’m the manager, so I’m the guy out front, even though I have had a lot of help around me.

“I don’t think it was great culture when I got here, and the dynamics of it got a little bit weird. We were coming off the worst season we’ve ever had here. So if it wasn’t rock bottom, it was really close. I thought Jim (Tracy) did a great job. But 2012 was a bad year — really bad — and so I came in on the heels of that. So I do feel like I have had a lot to do with changing the culture.”

Bridich concurred.

“The environment in the clubhouse, it’s moved in the right direction,” he said. “It’s a positive for us. The time that Walt’s been involved with the team, if you’re looking to dole out credit, absolutely he deserves credit. It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing for the organization.”

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu, the likely National League batting champion, threw his support behind Weiss.

“I think Walt has done everything he can do, with what he’s had to work with,” LeMahieu said. “I think he’s done a good job, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. In my opinion, things have improved a lot over past years and I think we are going to be very good next year.”

Asked whether Weiss deserves a chance to move forward with the team, closer Adam Ottavino said: “Walt’s been good to me, but it’s not my call. It’s hard to say, because I don’t know what qualifies as ‘deserving.’ I don’t think he’s done anything to lose a chance for himself. But it all depends on how (the front office) looks at the circumstances.” Related Articles September 29, 2016 On The Rox Podcast: Should DJ LeMahieu sit his way to the batting title?

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Legacy and Leadership

Weiss said he doesn’t listen much to fans and media who criticize him, but it does rankle him when he is labeled “a high school manager” because he coached at Regis Jesuit before taking over the Rockies.

“That’s just a cute way for people to take a shot at me,” he said. “I have played in the World Series. In those seven years when I was a special assistant with the Rockies, (manager) Clint (Hurdle) leaned heavily on me, as did Dan (O’Dowd). I was involved in every aspect, from amateur scouting to player development.”

Weiss also noted that he spent more time as an assistant football coach at Regis Jesuit than he did as a baseball coach, where he was head coach for only one season.

“I was asked to step in … I wanted to give something back to the community,” he said. “It was never about a steppingstone to (major-league) managing.”

Weiss has probably drawn the most criticism for the failure of his bullpens. This year’s bullpen entered the final homestand with a 5.12 ERA, the worst in the National League and Colorado’s highest since 2004. Weiss, however, makes no excuses for his late-game moves.

“In my four years, I can count on one hand the nights I’ve left he park and said, ‘Man, I should have brought in that guy,’ ” he said. “It’s easy for people to say because if it didn’t work out, you are wrong. With the information I had going into a game, that was absolutely the guy I wanted to go to. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s always going to work out.

“I know I get criticized for that, running a bullpen or whatever. But people on the outside making those judgments are making them based on very little information. … Every once in a while, something catches you off guard and you have to make a decision right then. But for the most part, I know who I am going to go to in a certain situation. I think a lot more is made of those bullpen situations than should be.”

In Weiss’ view, the most important aspect of being a manager is being a leader. He thinks he qualifies for that role.

“The building relationships part — that’s a big part of managing,” he said. “That took some time to figure that out. It’s not just with players, it’s with everyone. I think that’s a vital part of leadership. And that’s really what managing is about; it’s leadership, and leading a group of men. I believe I can do that.”

The question hanging over the Rockies is whether he will continue to get a chance.