On the heels of an historically terrible season, the Colorado Rockies are poised to something they havenât done since 1999 â hire a new head of baseball operations from outside the organization. An announcement is expected this week as to who the new baseball boss â either a Vice President of Baseball Operations or simply a new General Manager â will be.
According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, the field has narrowed down to two men: Matt Forman and Amiel Sawdaye. Forman is currently an executive VP and assistant GM with the Cleveland Guardians, while Sawdaye holds a similar post with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Rockies Search Focused on Mid and Small Market Executives
From the start, the Rockies search to replace former GM Bill Schmidt, who was relieved of his duties on October 1st after 26 years with the organization, has focused on executives with experience in the operation of mid and small market franchises. Colorado doesnât deal in the high priced free agent market (the ill-fated signing of Kris Bryant in 2022 notwithstanding) and have been looking at the success of franchises like Cleveland, Arizona, Seattle and Milwaukee to find a road map back to respectability.
The last time Colorado reached outside the walls of Coors Field and hired someone to lead the on-field activities was way back in 1999 when Dan OâDowd was hired away from Cleveland. Things started out roughly for OâDowd. He traded away a number of fan favorites before two ill-fated free agent signings, pitchers Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton. After switching course once again to home-grown talent, OâDowdâs work came to fruition when the Rockies reached their only World Series appearance in 2007. That was followed by another playoff appearance in 2009 before he and the organization mutually parted ways in 2014. Since then, the Rockies have turned only to internal promotions â first Jeff Bridich and then Schmidt â to handle baseball operations positions as the clubâs GM. They havenât reached the playoffs since 2018.
The Rockies lost a team record 119 games â their third consecutive 100 loss season â this past season. Incoming Team President Walker Monfort, the son of Majority Owner Dick Monfort, was promoted during last season and tabbed to officially take over from the retiring Greg Feasel in January. The younger Monfort has already begun reshaping the front office. The new baseball boss will have the immediate task of rebuilding the coaching and player development staffs at every level of the organization.
Colorado Manager and Coaching Staff Expected to Look Different in 2026
Interim Manager Warren Schaffer is not expected to return to that role, although he may remain in the organization. Schaffer entered the season as the teamâs third base coach, and was promoted to run the team on May 11th following the dismissal of veteran skipper Bud Black. It was his first stint as a big league manager. The Rockies went 36-86 under his leadership. Veteran pitching coach Darryl Scott resigned last week and there will be a lot more changes coming under new leadership.
According to Bleacher Report, Colorado has the 21st ranked farm system in MLB going into the off season. MLB.com has them ranked 24th. This isnât good enough for a self-proclaimed âdraft and developâ organization. The new General Manager has a lot of work to do almost immediately.
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