Warren Schaeffer Faces One Massive Challenge as New Manager of Rockies

The Colorado Rockies have figured out who will lead their team into the future, but there is one massive challenge Warren Schaeffer will have to take on.

Sep 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer (34) walks to the dugout after speaking with the home plate umpire after the bottom of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies had a historically bad season in 2025. They finished with 119 losses and missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season. Their fifth-place finish in the National League West marks the fourth consecutive year of the team being in that spot.

As a result of their horrid start, the Rockies decided to part ways with Bud Black after just 40 games. The team promoted third base coach Warren Schaeffer to interim manager for the remainder of the season. Colorado had some decisions to make heading into the offseason, and whether or not to keep Schaeffer as manager was one of the bigger ones.

The Rockies were 36-86 under Schaeffer, but he coached much better than the record suggests. Because of this, Colorado has opted to drop the interim title and appoint Schaeffer as the team's full-time manager.

Heading into his first full season as the leader of the clubhouse, Schaeffer has one massive challenge to face. Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com believes the skipper's biggest challenge will be building a winning franchise in Colorado.

How Hard Will It Be for Warren Schaeffer To Build a Winning Team?

Sep 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer (34) during the first inning at Coors Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Rockies have been a losing franchise for the entirety of their existence. In fact, Colorado has finished with a winning record nine times in 33 years. Since their inaugural season in 1993, Colorado has made the playoffs just five times. In 2007, the team went to the World Series, but did not make it past the NLDS in any of the other four postseason appearances.

The history of losing and the team's location in Denver have made it a less-than-ideal destination for free agents. Pitchers do not want to willingly spend a majority of their games pitching in the hitter-friendly Coors Field, while other players may be turned off by the weather early and late in the season.

Colorado should not be expected to be a playoff contender right away under Schaeffer. But hiring him before the Winter Meetings will allow Paul DePodesta and the Rockies front office to start building a team he wants to coach.

What Will It Take For Schaeffer to Build a Winning Team?

Sep 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Building the Rockies into a winning team is arguably the hardest task in Major League Baseball. None of the other new managers will face the same challenge as Colorado's leader. However, Schaeffer believes winning is going to happen sooner rather than later at Coors Field.

The Winter Meetings will give more insight into how Schaeffer wants to build his team, but there are plenty of speculations one can make.

The most important fix the Rockies have to address is their pitching staff. It is not an easy task to pitch at Coors Field, and there are plenty of pitchers who will not sign with the Rockies because of that. But Colorado needs to find a way to bring solid arms to Denver.

There are quite a few prospects ready to make their big league debut, but Colorado needs an established pitcher to lead their rotation. Last season, the best starting pitcher on the staff was Kyle Freeland, and he had a 4.98 ERA. The Rockies may not be able to land one of the top arms in free agency, but they can afford the contracts of some of the other mid-tier starters.

Nonetheless, Schaeffer has a difficult task ahead of him. Turning the Rockies into a winning franchise will not be easy, but he has the confidence to get the job done.

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