The Rockies went into the Winter Meetings looking to fill roster spots.
After three days of continuing to rebuild the front office and coaching staff, with a few players being added to the roster and farm system along the way, the organization is actually doing it, and doing it the right way. Even though there weren’t any big player acquisitions — a few minor league deals and two additions in the Rule 5 Draft — not making any big deals was the best news.
It means Paul DePodesta and his team aren’t
fools rushing in. The front office and a plan should come first. Then, coaches and players. The organization seems to be waiting until they have the infrastructure in place and a blueprint to follow before they buy the materials to build a winning roster. It’s a much better order of operations for charting a new course.
While there is still a long offseason left to fill remaining front office and coaching vacancies, as well as finalize the roster for 2026 and beyond, here are a few numbers to show why I think the organization is on the right track.
Disclaimer: The numbers may be a little unconventional and outside of the box, but for a team known for being insular and rejecting outside ideas, these changes mark a major shift in organizational thinking.
Rockies Offseason Progress By the Numbers (So Far)
3.7/13.2: Average years with organization of 2026 coaches vs. 2025 coaching staff
Heading into the 2025 season, the Rockies coaching staff was full of familiar faces. Pitching coordinator Doug Linton had been in the organization for 20 years; pitching coach Darryl Scott was in his 18th season; bullpen coach Dustin Garneau was drafted by the Rockies and played for or coached in the organization for 11 years; director of pitching Steve Foster was in year 10; and manager Bud Black and bench coach Mike Redmond had each been with the team for nine years. That meant an average tenure of 13.2 years with Colorado for those six coaches/coordinators. All are now gone, along with several other coaches and baseball operations personnel who left during or after the season. The new slate of pitching coaches — namely manager Warren Schaeffer, pitching coach Alon Leichman, assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann and director of pitching Matt Daniels — averages a total of 3.6 years with the organization. That all comes from Schaeffer, who was drafted by the Rockies in 2007 and has been with the team ever since.
5/25.7: Average years with organization of 2026 front office vs. 2025 front office
Outgoing chief operating officer Greg Feasel was with the Rockies for 30 years; resigned GM Bill Schmidt worked for Colorado for 26 years; and former vice president of baseball operations and assistant general manager Zach Rosenthal was employed by the Rockies for 21 years. That’s a lot of experience, an average of 25.7 years, but also a lot of losing during Colorado’s 33 years of existence. Compare that to president of baseball operations DePodesta, who is new, GM Josh Byrnes’ three years with the Rockies (1999-2002), new assistant GM Tommy Tanous, and executive president Walker Monfort’s 17 years working for the club. That averages out to five years for the foursome. The times are indeed changing!
7: Number of new hires from outside the organization
Nothing says change like new faces and fresh perspectives. On the front office side, this counts DePodesta, Tanous, senior vice president and chief revenue and strategy officer Nicky Schmidt, pitching coach Alon Leichman, assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann and director of pitching Matt Daniels. I left out Byrnes because he worked for the Rockies from 1999-2002, but you could argue that 23 years away is enough time to wipe the slate clean. Depending on your take, this number could be eight instead of seven.
8: The number of new pitchers the team has signed
Trying to rebuild a pitching staff that was the worst in MLB and adding depth to the farm system to make the organization’s ability to compete sustainable, the Rockies have already signed eight pitchers this offseason. Starting with the most recent, the Rockies purchased contracts of two pitchers in the Rule 5 Draft, including RHPs RJ Petit and TJ Shook. Before that, Colorado signed free agents LHPs Adam Laskey and Parker Mushinski and RHPs John Brebbia and Eiberson Castellano to minor league contracts. They also traded for LHP Brennan Bernardino and picked Garrett Acton off waivers from Tampa Bay.
26: The average age of the active Rockies roster at the end of the 2025 season
The Rockies were the youngest team in MLB last season, and they will be young again in 2026. The kids will play, but hopefully with more direction and strategic veterans to bridge the gap.
34: The youngest age of the new hires
Daniels, the new director of pitching for Colorado, is 34 years old. From 2021-2024, Steve Foster, 59, held this job after deciding to step down from pitching coach to spend more time with his family. He left the organization in June of 2025 to take a job as the pitching coach for Texas Tech, leaving the post empty. Daniels, who is one of the first full-time employees at the data-driven player development facility Driveline Baseball, is a massive upgrade. The Rockies need a serious, full-time professional in this role to help meet the unique challenges pitchers face at and away from altitude. Whether it’s what type of pitchers the team drafts and how they are developed or their strategies at elevation, Daniels is the perfect fit for a new chapter in pitching at Coors Field. Fun fact — the Rockies will play their 34th season in 2026.
Daniels and the Rockies are the same age.
39.2/58: Average age of the 2026 coaching staff vs. former coaching staff
Black was 68. Schaeffer is 40. That explains a lot of it. It’s a youth revolution at 20th and Blake. With how much the game of baseball has changed, moving to younger coaches was a must for the Rockies heading into the future.
53.5/66.5: Average age of new GM/PBO vs. former brass
Schmidt was 66 and Greg Feasel is 67. Paul DePodesta is 52 and Josh Byrens is 55. The younger vibes in the dugout and clubhouse will be matched in the clubhouse. Cheers to a new era!
Closing Thoughts
While the changes are exciting, younger doesn’t always mean better and outside perspectives won’t automatically mean success. Only time will tell, but for the first time since Jeff Bridich was named GM in 2014 and Black was named manager in 2016, there is a seismic shift taking place in the Rockies organization. After six straight losing seasons, including a franchise-worst 119 losses in 2025, that is truly refreshing.
The Three Best Picks From the Rule 5 Draft | Just Baseball
Any time the Rockies are listed in an article for a positive reason, especially one that’s a top three list, it’s worth noting. This one applauds the Rule-5 Draft pick of RJ Petit, especially considering the pairing with new assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas, who, like Petit, comes from Detroit.
Former Rockies manager Walt Weiss earned another shot with Braves | Denver Post ($)
Rockies beat reporter Patrick Saunders caught up with former Rockies shortstop and manager Walt Weiss, who is getting another shot the managing after coaching with the Braves for the last several seasons. Weiss, who still has a home in Parker, talks about the lessons he learned in Colorado and being much more prepared for the job this time around in Atlanta.
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