Friday, December 05

DENVER -- With their goals running much deeper than the 2026 season, the Rockies will have chances to work on the present and the future when teams convene for the Winter Meetings, which start on Monday.

Since being hired as the team’s president of baseball operations on Nov. 7, Paul DePodesta has operated at a careful pace. He also engaged in many internal conversations before promoting Warren Schaeffer from interim manager to the full-time post last week. 

Change is promised, but the methods for change have yet to emerge. The biggest change so far is actually an ongoing one. At the Major League level, pitching coach Darryl Scott is out, and bullpen coach Dustin Garneau left to become the Braves’ catching coach. The team has parted ways with Minor League pitching strategist Flint Wallace and pitching coordinator Doug Linton. But no replacements have been named for any of the jobs.

The Rockies entered the week leading up to the Winter Meetings without a general manager, but ultimately the major moves will be the purview of DePodesta. In addition, everything from scouting to instruction to player acquisition appears up for discussion, and DePodesta’s efforts appear to center on how many current club officials will be involved in the changes.

There is also an inexperienced, pitching-poor roster that went 43-119 in 2025. The Rockies must decide how much to let the team continue its growing pains.

• Winter Meetings presented by CohnReznick: Complete coverage

CLUB NEEDS: Expect the Rockies to remain young. But by the end of last season, at least four rookie position players and two or three first-time regulars were in the daily lineup, and rookies made up three-fifths of the rotation. That’s too much youth for a team to be competitive. Big spending on free agents is not warranted, but arguments could be made for increasing the experience level at first base, second base and third base, as well as adding experience to the rotation. For now, players who made their Major League debut in 2025 top the depth chart at first base (Warming Bernabel and Blaine Crim), second base (Ryan Ritter) and third base (Kyle Karros).

POTENTIAL TRADE CANDIDATES:  The most popular ask during last year’s Trade Deadline was center fielder Brenton Doyle, who struggled in 2025 after winning Gold Glove Awards in 2023 and 2024 and had an offensive breakout in ‘24. But the first-time arbitration-eligible Doyle is heading into his age-28 season, still has the speed and range to be a top defender and has shown offensive ability. 

But can DePodesta hold onto Doyle but deal from the outfield, which is populated with such young players as Jordan Beck, Mickey Moniak, Tyler Freeman and Yanquiel Fernández, as well as prospects Cole Carrigg (No. 3), Robert Calaz (No. 4), Max Belyeu (No. 7), Jared Thomas (No. 8) and Zac Veen (No. 11)?

Also high on other teams’ list is righty reliever Victor Vodnik, who served as closer at times during the last two seasons and possesses a power mix. Seth Halvorsen, closer until a late-season elbow injury, also could draw suitors.

PROSPECT TO KNOW: After being drafted third overall in 2024, first baseman Charlie Condon was a subject of questions when he struggled that summer at High-A Spokane while hiding a left hand injury and missed the start of the ‘25 season with a right wrist injury. But once healthy, he quickly earned a promotion from Spokane to Double-A Hartford, played in the Futures Game during All-Star Weekend and finished strong in the Arizona Fall League.

With a good performance in Spring Training, Condon could find himself at Triple-A Albuquerque at the start of the ‘26 season or shortly thereafter. Can he earn a Major League debut, or even establish himself as the first baseman for years to come?

RULE 5 DRAFT: Teams are often seeking left-handed relief pitching, and Sam Weatherly could draw eyes. A third-round pick in 2020, Weatherly has dealt with arm injuries for much of his career. Last season the numbers at Double-A Hartford (0-1, 8.06 ERA in 39 games) were not good, but he got through the season healthy and flashed some raw ability.

BURNING QUESTION:  How are the Rockies going to structure themselves for success? For much of their history, they held onto players they drafted or signed as amateurs with the plan that enough of them would blossom at the same time to provide a window of meaningful late-season baseball. But they’ve endured long dry periods, and when a team did come together, it could not be sustained. It’s a common problem for teams that don’t have a large payroll, but the Rockies committed to DePodesta and a new plan with the knowledge that a few clubs have figured out how to contend consistently without spending sprees.

The new regime will be charged with doing a better job teaching and evaluating, being more active and more successful acquiring talent from other teams, finding wins in the margins by applying advanced information more effectively -- or all of the above.

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