Rockies General Manager May Be Next on Organization’s List of Changes

The Colorado Rockies have already made two significant changes this season and they could be inching toward making a third.

Aug 20, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a Colorado Rockies batting helmet in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Bill Schmidt is a Colorado Rockies lifer. He ran the scouting portion of the franchise before becoming general manager in 2021.

It’s quite possible that could be coming to an end.

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In a piece at The Athletic (subscription required) reporter Ken Rosenthal wrote about potential candidates to replace Schmidt, as he reported there was “chatter” within the baseball industry that the Rockies could move on from Schmidt.

Rosenthal wrote that a midseason move seemed remote — at least until the Washington Nationals jettisoned general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez a week before the draft.

He still finds it unlikely, but the move furthers fans speculation around Schmidt’s future.

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Colorado has already fired manager Bud Black and installed Warren Schaeffer as the interim manager. Rockies owner and CEO Dick Montfort installed his son, Walker, as the franchise’s executive vice president.

In an expansive piece in the Denver Post last month, Charlie Montfort said the franchise “need[s] a new set of eyeballs.”

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What made Rosenthal’s piece unique from other reporting is that he put together a list of three potential replacements for Schmidt, even though he is still in the job.

The long-time MLB insider surmised the best candidates would be general managers for other teams that, at one time, worked for the Rockies.

His proposed three that fit the criteria — Thad Levine, Jerry Dipoto and Andy McKay.

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Levine was previously the GM for the Minnesota Twins but parted ways with the organization last year. Dipoto, who was also a Rockies pitcher, has led the Seattle front office for a decade. McKay, at one time Colorado’s peak performance, now works for Dipoto and runs the Mariners’ farm system.

The Rockies wouldn’t have much to lose by making a move now, or shortly before the trade deadline. Colorado has already set several records this season, including the worst start after 50 games (8-42) in both the MLB divisional era (since 1969) and modern era (since 1900).

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