Rockies executive vice president Walker Monfort has been tight-lipped about his blueprint for the club’s front office rebuild.
Word leaked out that Arizona’s Amiel Sawdaye and Cleveland’s Matt Forman are two finalists to lead the front office as a general manager or president of baseball operations. Still, we are left to speculate what changes will actually occur when the new baseball boss takes over at 20th and Blake.
When Walker, the son of owner Dick Monfort, was promoted to VP in June, his central theme was “maximizing resources.”
“I think we’re open to whatever it takes to make the Colorado Rockies better,” he said. “But I would say it’s really about maximizing our resources, right? And if we don’t have the right resources in place, we should figure out a way to get the right resources in place. That’s not just from a staffing perspective, it’s really everything.”
That’s not a lot to go on, but I’ve been told by multiple people in the organization that Walker Monfort is intent on making significant changes to how the Rockies operate and how they spread their money around. That’s a good thing.
Still, a myriad of questions remain.
If I were Forman or Sawdaye — or perhaps another candidate who has not been publicly named — these are the questions I would be asking Monfort as I contemplate whether or not to accept the job:
• How much autonomy will I have? I understand that Dick writes the checks and Walker is my boss, but will I be allowed to build my kind of team? For example, will I be allowed to make trades, even if the player involved is well-liked by Dick? If I work out a well-researched deal, will I be given the power to make the trade?
• The Guardians had a payroll of $106.9 million in 2025, ranking 25th in the majors, yet they won the AL Central and made the playoffs for the seventh time in the last 10 years. The Rockies had a payroll of $125.8 million (22nd) but lost 119 games. Will I be given the authority to change how we spend money on the baseball side?
• How will money be allocated in the future? Will more money be invested in hiring support staff and research and development? If so, will there be any money left over to acquire free agents?
• Will I be able to hire more coaches and analysts, not only for the big-league club, but also for minor league clubs?
• Many other major league teams have a staff member whose primary job is to analyze opponents, as well as their own team, to see what “tells” might be showing. They have someone to check whether one of their pitchers is tipping pitches and also investigate if an opposing pitcher is tipping. Will I be able to hire a person for that role?
• I understand that the Rockies have invested in cutting-edge baseball technology, including Hawk-Eye systems, across the organization. Still, there aren’t enough people in the organization to analyze the data and present it to players in a straightforward way. Will I be able to change that?
• I’ve heard that, in the past, Dick Monfort — along with former GM Bill Schmidt — sometimes stonewalled progressive ideas and concepts. If I take this job, will I be able to call the shots on such big-picture items?
• The Rockies have a reputation throughout baseball of being too “old school” when it comes to drafting players. For example, first baseman Michael Toglia fit the prototype of a big, strong, power-hitting first baseman when he was a first-round pick out of UCLA. But his tendency to swing and miss puts him at risk of washing out. Will our new front office be given the freedom to apply more scientific analysis, along with old-school scouting, in the draft?
• I understand that there are many talented people currently employed in the Rockies’ front office, even if their skills weren’t utilized as much as they should have been. Although I will take a hard look at those people, will I be free to hire my own people?
• Is there any plan in place to solve the dilemma of Kris Bryant and his massive contract? If he never plays again because of his chronic back condition, can we find a way to defer some of the $81 million owed to Bryant over the next three seasons?
• The Rockies have posted a losing record for seven years running and have lost 100-plus games for three consecutive seasons. So, how much time will I be given to try and turn things around?
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