"The Colorado Rockies are finalizing a deal to hire Paul DePodesta to run their baseball operations department, sources told ESPN, turning to the longtime executive to overhaul a stagnant organization coming off a 119-loss season. DePodesta, 52, will leave the Cleveland Browns, where he has spent the last decade as chief strategy officer, and return to baseball, where he was a key figure in the "Moneyball" era Oakland A's and later ran the Los Angeles Dodgers."
"The hiring of DePodesta comes after a search in which the two main candidates, Cleveland assistant general manager Matt Forman and Arizona assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye, balked at taking a job expected to require a multiyear rebuild. Colorado's previous GM, Bill Schmidt, resigned Oct. 1 following a fourth consecutive last-place finish in the National League West and a third straight 100-plus-loss season."
"The turnaround won't be easy. Colorado returns limited talent from a team that was on pace to set the single-season record for losses, and while its farm system has improved in recent years, it has a paucity of near-major-league-ready talent. DePodesta's success as Billy Beane's No. 2 with the A's came in the wake of an analytically based approach that has been embraced throughout Major League Baseball -- but not with the Rockies."
Paul DePodesta is set to leave the Cleveland Browns and return to baseball as the head of the Colorado Rockies' baseball operations. The Rockies finished with 119 losses and face a multiyear rebuild after consecutive last-place finishes and multiple 100-loss seasons. The organization has limited major-league-ready talent despite recent improvements in the farm system and lacks key infrastructure. Potential candidates hesitated because of the scale of the rebuild and organizational deficiencies. The Rockies also face tough competition in the National League West, making a rapid return to contention difficult. DePodesta's autonomy will influence the rebuild's prospects.
Read at ESPN.com
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