colorado rockies They are finalizing a deal to hire Paul DePodesta to run their baseball operations department, sources told ESPN, turning to the longtime executive to overhaul a stagnant organization after a 119-loss season.
DePodesta, 52, will leave cleveland brownswhere he has spent the past decade as chief strategy officer, and returns to baseball, where he was a key figure in the “Moneyball” era. oakland a’s and later run los angeles dodgers,
DePodesta’s appointment follows a search that included two main candidates, cleveland Assistant General Manager Matt Forman and Arizona Assistant GM Amiel Sawade was hesitant to take a job requiring a multi-year rebuild. Colorado’s previous GM, Bill Schmidt, resigned on October 1 after finishing in last place in the National League West for the fourth time in a row and having more than 100 losses in the season for the third time in a row.
Change will not be easy. Colorado returns limited talent from a team that was on pace to set a single-season record for losses, and while its farm system has improved in recent years, it lacks nearly major-league-ready talent.
DePodesta’s success as Billy Beane’s No. 2 with the A’s came in the wake of an analytically-based approach that has been adopted throughout Major League Baseball – but not with the Rockies. Sources said Colorado’s infrastructure deficiencies deterred potential candidates and left some worried about its ability to turn things around in the tough National League West.
The Dodgers have won the World Series three times in six years San Diego Padres And the Diamondbacks are still fielding highly competitive teams san francisco giants Expected to be active in free agency this winter to improve, the Rockies will certainly face an uphill battle to return to contention.
How much leeway DePodesta is given to work in an organization considered by competitors a decade behind will be important as he returns to baseball after joining the Browns in early 2016. He went to Cleveland after a few stops. New York Mets And the Padres and Browns have posted two winning seasons and a record of 56–99–1 since DePodesta’s arrival.
His first task will be to find a manager ahead of next week’s GM meetings in Las Vegas. In a hiring cycle that has seen eight new managers — including Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, who is joining the Giants, and San Diego hiring Craig Stammen on Thursday, two surprise choices — the Rockies are the only team in MLB without a manager. They fired Bud Black in May, and have not replaced interim manager, Warren Schaefer, since the top baseball operations job is open.
