Rockies Struck Gold With One of Paul DePodesta's First Moves

When new Colorado Rockies president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, was hired last November, he didn't make many big moves for the 2026 season.

However, one move he did make in January, shortly before spring training was scheduled to begin, was to acquire young first baseman TJ Rumfield from the New York Yankees.

In exchange for Rumfield, DePodesta sent reliever Angel Chivilli to the Bronx. In the moment, that didn't seem like that big of a deal, but as the 2026 season went on, it was an underrated deal.

Colorado finished the season with a fourth straight 100-loss season, but there were steps taken that were positive and in the right direction. One of those was Rumfield.

Rockies TJ Rumfield Named Biggest Surprise of 2026

Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Selected in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Rumfield was buried in the Yankees organization at first base and was blocked from making the big club in New York.

With Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt splitting time at the position, sooner or later Brian Cashman was going to make him available, and DePodesta jumped at the opportunity to trade for the former Virginia Tech standout.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed each MLB team's biggest surprise and disappointment in 2026. Runfield was Colorado's biggest surprise, which really shouldn't be a surprise.

"The Rockies acquired Rumfield from the Yankees in exchange for reliever Angel Chivilli in January and thrust him into a wide-open competition for the starting first base job. The 26-year-old rookie finished as the team leader in WAR (3.5), NL leader in on-base percentage (.390) and one of only seven qualified hitters with a .300 batting average,'' Reuter wrote.

When it comes to awards in November, there is no reason why Rumfield is not in the mix for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He finished with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs while slashing .300/.390/.453. He posted an OPS of .843. He got his average up to .300 against the Chicago White Sox in game 161 of the season and missed the regular-season finale to ensure he would finish at .300 in his first MLB season.

Under Warren Schaeffer and the new baseball leadership, steps were taken in the right direction in 2026 despite what the record says. Some young players got a full season under their belts, including Rumfield, and it painted a good picture for the future.

Out of all the moves by the Rockies last offseason, acquiring Rumfield ended up being the biggest and best one by DePodesta.

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