The Colorado Rockies don’t have a new General Manager yet, but new President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta and team ownership have decided to remove the “interim” tag and make 40-year-old Warren Schaffer the team’s manager for the upcoming 2026 season. The team has not announced the terms of Schaffer’s managing contract.
“We are confident that Warren is the right person to lead our program going forward,” DePodesta said in a statement release by the team. “He has established very strong relationships with our players, understands the culture of this franchise and embodies the energy and work ethic we want on and off the field.”
Schaffer Took Over a Team That was 7-33
Schaffer took over for long-time Manager Bud Black in early May and led the club to a 36-56 record, narrowly missing the all-time record for losses in single season. He has been the team’s third base coach before being promoted to the interim job. Schaffer has spent his entire baseball playing and coaching career with the Rockies, beginning when he was drafted in 2007 – the only year that Colorado went to the World Series. He played for six seasons before transitioning to a coaching role, spending more than a decade in various instructional roles with the organization before being brought up to the big leagues in 2023 to be the infield and third base coach.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this team,” said Schaeffer in the press release. “My focus remains on continuing to build a strong, unified culture based on accountability, hard work and trust. We have a group of guys who care deeply about competing the right way, and my goal is to keep strengthening those relationships while leading a team that our fans can embrace and be proud of.”
Schaffer’s lack of managing experience apparently isn’t an issue with the Rockies, who have a long history of remaining loyal to employees and promoting from within. The Pennsylvania native is only the eighth manager in the three-decade history of the organization, which came into existence in 1993. Colorado has lost more than 100 games in three consecutive seasons, last making the postseason under Black in 2018. Last year they lost a team record 119 games.
Rockies Decline Began After Last Playoff Appearance
In the years that immediately followed their playoff season of 2018, the Rockies said goodbye to star players like DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and Jon Gray, and the replacements have yet to be impactful at the major league level. On top of their issues in the big leagues, the Rockies minor league farm system continues to be rated as one of the weakest in MLB. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25252624-final-mlb-farm-system-rankings-2025-after-september-call-ups First round draft pick Ethan Holiday is the only highly ranked player in the system heading into the winter meetings.
Whomever the Rockies hired as the team’s manager for the upcoming season was going to be facing an uphill battle to avoid a fourth-straight 100-loss campaign in 2026. No other candidates were named publicly, and Schaffer had the support of the players in the clubhouse, many of whom had been with him at various stops in the minor leagues.
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