Overview
- DePodesta, hired last week as president of baseball operations, said he is "a bit of a sucker for a challenge" as he returns to MLB after nine years with the NFL’s Browns.
- He said a general manager will be hired to work under him and confirmed interim skipper Warren Schaeffer will be part of the process as the club fills its manager vacancy.
- Near-term decisions that will signal his approach include 40-man roster protections due Nov. 18, tender decisions due Nov. 21, and the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 10.
- DePodesta portrayed ownership as open to change and said he expects "quite a bit of autonomy" to reshape one of baseball’s least-progressive operations.
- Context for the challenge includes a 119-loss season, no winning record since 2018, and a rare outside hire to lead Rockies baseball operations, with early fan reaction described as cautiously optimistic.