This week is all about MLB’s General Managers Meeting in Las Vegas. While it’s probably safe to assume there won’t be much action in terms of signings and trades, the GM meeting is generally a space for
setting the stage for what will follow in the offseason.
Think of it as getting to know someone before asking them out.
For Colorado Rockies fans, however, these meetings will give them their first sense of how Paul DePodesta, the new president of baseball operations, will approach rebuilding the front office and the organization.
There are probably plenty of tea leaves to be read in the coming days, but we know DePodesta will meet with media at least twice this week — once in Vegas and once at Coors Field — and he will, presumably, also be working to revive ties with the baseball community.
For Rockies fans, however, actions will speak louder than words, and the ways in which DePodesta answers a number of questions will provide a sense of his strategy going forward. I’ve divided the questions into “Near Term,” “Mid-Term,” and “Long Term” to provide a bit of organization. Some answers we will know very soon; others will take a while.
In addition, I’ve added some comments from Rockies beat writers attending the GM meetings.
Near-term Decisions
These are moves DePodesta will need to make sooner rather than later.
Attending the GM meetings — How will that go? We’ll know soon enough.
Here’s an initial look at his first presser with members of the Denver press. (The video is courtesy of Kevin Henry.)
Determining who will be on the 40-man roster — The date for those decisions is November 18. Who will be added to the 40-man? Certainly Gabriel Hughes (no. 11 PuRP) and Welinton Herrera (No. 21 PuRP), but which other prospects will DePodesta choose to protect?
Deciding players who will be tendered a contract — November 21 is the deadline for teams to tender a contract to players. An immediate decision facing DePodesta is which players will be offered a contract. His choices will reveal quite a bit about his rebuild approach.
In the meantime, these are players who may not receive contracts:
Selecting a general manager — Reporting indicates that the DePodesta will hire a GM prior to the Winter Meetings, which would be December 7-10 in Orlando. He will need to make that decision promptly in large part to get the new hire oriented to the Rockies and his approach as PBO.
Choosing a manager and coaching staff — Will Warren Schaeffer be back? Who will be on the coaching staff? These are also decisions that need to be made quickly both to provide some direction for players and to prepare for spring training (which will be here before we know it).
Yesterday, Patrick Saunders provided these updates:
Later, Saunders added this:
Making Rule 5 Draft selections — The Rule 5 Draft will be held on December 10. Will DePodesta choose to rebuild the Rockies using players from other teams who are left unprotected? Again, his decisions here will provide a sense of his approach to these issues.
Mid-term decisions
These are moves DePodesta will need to make as he prepares to field a team in 2026, so let’s consider these decisions to be made prior to the start of spring training.
Determining who will play for the Rockies in 2026 — For this, DePodesta will need to decide which players will remain in the organization.
Deciding if any current Rockies are trade candidates — If you’ve been reading our ongoing (never-ending?) “Ranking the Rockies” series, you know that the cupboard is pretty bare. However, it strikes me that there are two trade candidates to watch: Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar. Should DePodesta choose to move either of those players, it will be notable (and very unlike the Rockies we’ve known).
Signing free agents — I do not expect the Rockies to be active in the free-agent market. However, I do think they will probably sign a low-cost player or two. (Look, someone’s got to play for the Rockies in 2026.) Those signings will reveal a bit about the plan going forward.
Filling in the minor league coaching staffs — In addition to other decisions, DePodesta will need to determine changes to the coaches in the Rockies’ farm systems. Will he do a wholesale overhaul? Will some remain in place? We’ll know soon enough.
Begin building analytics and player-development systems — This probably belongs in the next category, but I expect prior to the start of spring training, DePodesta will take some steps on this front. (Whether those decisions will be made public is a separate matter.)
Long-term decisions
Here, things become less certain, but these are overhaul choices DePodesta will have to make as he implements a true rebuild. He will need additional staffing, and building a better player development system will take time.
In addition, the Rockies will need to start thinking about the 2026 MLB Draft. Since Bill Schmidt is no longer with the Rockies, some rebuilding will be necessary there, too.
These are investments that will take some time to play out, and only time will tell how the answers to these decisions play out.
Reader, stay tuned.
Accolades
Congratulations go out to Rockies great Jorge De La Rosa, who was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I pitched for a lot of teams, but when they asked me, ‘What jersey do you want to wear going in?’ I said Rockies, right away,” De La Rosa said. “That’s the team I love, and I’m always thanking them for the opportunities they gave me.”
Read more here.
Last night, the Rockies new PBO spoke with Denver reporters. Here’s what Kevin Henry learned.
Ranking the 10 most untradable contracts in baseball | AlBat
Ismael Hernández de Dios has created a list. Yes, Kris Bryant is on it, but before reading, make your guess as to where his contract falls.
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