Bill

Schmidt

The New York Post’s John Sherman says it’s a done deal. DePodesta, part of the Moneyball A’s in the early part of the century, has spent the last 10 years working for the Cleveland Browns as their chief strategy officer. He also spent 2004 and ’05 as the Dodgers’ GM in the Frank McCourt days and worked for the Padres and Mets for a time. Bringing him back to baseball after such a long time away would seem to be a risky move, but it’s not like things can get any worse in Colorado.

Just went it seemed the Rockies were going to try functioning as a competent organization for once. Amiel Sawdaye of the Diamondbacks and Matt Forman of the Guardians were reported as the finalists for gig last week, and the Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli said Sawdaye had emerged as the favorite. However, it appears that Sawdaye and the Rockies might have had different ideas when it came to contract terms. The Rockies aren’t thought to have any other finalists for the job, so they might be back at square one.

With the Fall Classic in the rearview mirror and a compelling hot stove season rapidly approaching, the most fascinating question in baseball might be which executive is willing to take on the daunting challenge of running Colorado’s front office — and, in turn, conquering Coors Field. Forman, who has been with Cleveland’s front office since 2013, and Sawdaye, who joined Arizona in 2016, were believed to be the leading candidates for the Rockies’ top job after the club moved on from Bill Schmidt at the end of last season. But it’s possible the club will go back to the drawing board. It’s a less-than-ideal situation with free agency set to begin in short order.

The Rockies have been searching for a new front office architect for the past month after moving on from Bill Schmidt following five seasons at the helm. Harding adds that both interviewed with the club over the past week and that there is no word regarding when a final decision will be made. Forman has worked in Cleveland’s front office since 2013 while Sawdaye has been with Arizona since 2016. The Rockies haven’t had a ton of success since making the World Series back in 2007, but the opportunity for a baseball executive to attempt to solve the Coors Field conundrum is arguably the most fascinating quest left in the sport.

The Jays’ James Click and Royals’ Scott Sharp are no longer under consideration, though it’s possible that others still are. The Rockies are looking to replace GM Bill Schmidt, who stepped down three weeks ago. The new GM (or president of baseball operations) will be responsible for hiring the team’s next manager.

The Rockies announced that they are immediately beginning an “external search” for a new head of their baseball operations, a massive announcement because this will be the “first time they’ve gone outside the organization since the club hired Dan O’Dowd as GM in October 1999.” Few organizations in all of baseball need fresh voices more than the Rockies, so bringing in the first general manager from outside the organization in 26 years is a great first step. Schmidt was brought in by O’Dowd in 1999 “to head the scouting department and was in charge of MLB Drafts that included many of the players on the 2007 team that appeared in the World Series and National League Division Series in 2009.” However, progress has stalled since then.

Hurdle took his first job as a major league manager in Colorado, skippering the Rockies between 2002-2009, so this will be a homecoming of sorts for the 64-year-old. He’ll work under Bill Schmidt, who was officially named full-time GM in October.

Schmidt has been the interim General Manager since May 3 and has been building the Rockie’s baseball operations department all season. Colorado failed to trade superstar Trevor Story at the trade deadline and is highly unlikely to retain his services as he heads into free agency this offseason. Schmidt has a long journey ahead of him to rebuild a struggling franchise, but the keys have been officially handed over for the future. Colorado also promoted Danny Montgomery to vice president and assistant general manager of scouting, and Zack Rosenthal to vice president and assistant general manager of baseball operations.