The Colorado Rockies are finalizing a deal to hire Paul DePodesta to run their baseball operations department, sources told ESPN, turning to the longtime executive to overhaul a stagnant organization coming off a 119-loss season.
DePodesta, 52, will leave the Cleveland Browns, where he has spent the last decade as chief strategy officer, and return to baseball, where he was a key figure in the “Moneyball” era Oakland A’s and later ran the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The hiring of DePodesta comes after a search in which the two main candidates, Cleveland assistant general manager Matt Forman and Arizona assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye, balked at taking a job expected to require a multiyear rebuild. Colorado’s previous GM, Bill Schmidt, resigned Oct. 1 following a fourth consecutive last-place finish in the National League West and a third straight 100-plus-loss season.
The turnaround won’t be easy. Colorado returns limited talent from a team that was on pace to set the single-season record for losses, and while its farm system has improved in recent years, it has a paucity of near-major-league-ready talent.