The Colorado Rockies announced on Friday that Paul DePodesta has been named the club's president of baseball operations, effective immediately. DePodesta, a veteran of Major League Baseball and the NFL, brings a background in analytics and winning organizations to a team coming off seven straight losing seasons. He replaces Bill Schmidt, who stepped down at the end of the 2025 season.
The Colorado Rockies are turning to innovation and experience to rebuild their baseball operations. Paul DePodesta, 52, joins the organization after serving as chief strategy officer for the NFL's Cleveland Browns since 2016. His hiring was announced on Friday morning, marking him as the fifth head of baseball operations in the team's history.
DePodesta's MLB career spans over 20 years, beginning as an intern with the Cleveland Indians in 1996. He rose to prominence as assistant general manager with the Oakland Athletics from 1999-2003, contributing to four straight playoff appearances during the 'Moneyball' era, which was later chronicled in a book and film where he was portrayed by Jonah Hill. He later served as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2004-05), special assistant and executive vice president with the San Diego Padres (2006-10), and vice president of player development and amateur scouting for the New York Mets (2011-15).
DePodesta is the only executive to win division titles with five different MLB organizations. He takes over a Rockies team that finished 43-119 in 2025, extending a club-record seven consecutive losing seasons. Among his responsibilities will be hiring additional personnel for the baseball operations department and selecting a manager. Warren Schaeffer, who served as interim manager after the club parted ways with Bud Black in May, is expected to be a candidate.
"I have always kept my eye on baseball, and this is an incredible opportunity to help make an impact in the next chapter of the Rockies," DePodesta said. "Building a consistent winner here is a shared goal and one that I am eager to embrace alongside Rockies leaders, staff, players and fans. I am ready for the challenge and excited to get started immediately."
Rockies executive vice president Walker Monfort praised DePodesta's influence on modern analytics. "Paul’s previous work in MLB set the foundation for many aspects of the way the game is analyzed today, and we are thrilled for him to be a key figure in our future," Monfort said. Owner, chairman and CEO Dick Monfort added, "This is a special guy with great vision and a great plan. He is a winner, and he is going to win in Colorado."
A native of Alexandria, Virginia, DePodesta graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1995 with a degree in economics, where he played baseball and football. The Browns issued a statement thanking him for his contributions over nine and a half seasons. DePodesta will attend the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas from November 10-12, with a press conference scheduled for November 13 at Coors Field.
