Could Paul DePodesta Hire Thad Levine to Be Rockies' General Manager?

The future would look brighter for the Colorado Rockies if this occurred.

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It still doesn't feel real that the Colorado Rockies hired Paul DePodesta to be their next head of baseball operations following an almost decade-long absence from the sport of baseball.

Opinions about that decision are everywhere, with many taking shots at the Rockies. But there is some optimism that this could work. After all, DePodesta was one of the brightest rising stars in the game back in the day.

Who DePodesta ultimately brings in as part of his front office will ease a lot of the concerns about this hire. Because he's been away from baseball for so long, he'll need to have people around him
who have been deep in the modern game that has implemented many of the analytics that he was breaking ground with during his Athletics tenure.

Someone who could be an option for him is Thad Levine.

Paul DePodesta Hiring Thad Levine as GM Would Be Ideal

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Levine was immediately floated as someone who could take over the baseball operations department in Colorado. Not only did he previously work for the organization, but he had a long run of success as the assistant general manager of the Texas Rangers before being hired to become the GM of the Minnesota Twins.

Ultimately, he didn't get the big job with the Rockies -- and it's not clear if he was even interviewed -- but that doesn't mean he couldn't be brought into the organization as the general manager under DePodesta.

"DePodesta will be free to hire a GM. Bringing in childhood friend Thad Levine would go a long way in making this move make sense," wrote Troy Renck of The Denver Post (subscription required).

Beyond the fact that the two men are childhood friends after growing up together in Alexandria, Va., it's clear DePodesta is going to need some serious help running a baseball front office since the last time he had that job was in 2005.

The Colorado Rockies announced today that Paul DePodesta has been named the club’s president of baseball operations, effective immediately.

Welcome to Denver, Paul! pic.twitter.com/dtb4M3TD88

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) November 7, 2025

Hiring Levine would make a ton of sense. He last was with the Twins in his GM role in 2024. He spent eight years running that front office and ushered in four playoff appearances and three division titles during his tenure, which was a huge improvement from 2010 being the last time they accomplished either feat before he arrived.

If Levine could run more of the day-to-day operations while DePodesta starts remaking this entire baseball operations department when it comes to getting things modernized, then this hire by the Rockies would make a lot more sense.

It will be interesting to see what happens on this front, but seeing Levine join this organization after all could be something that occurs.

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