Rockies VP Walker Monfort introduces Paul DePodesta in ‘first day of our future’ after years of struggles. As part of new front-office framework, Walker Monfort will have ‘oversight over entire organization’ while still reporting to his father, Dick Monfort
2 comments
> The Rockies’ rebuild has begun, not only with the hiring of someone from outside the organization in DePodesta, but also with the establishment of a new organizational infrastructure and hierarchy. Owner and CEO Dick Monfort, Walker’s father, will still have the final say on big decisions, but he made it clear on Friday that things are changing at 20th and Blake and that he’s scaling down his role in baseball operations.
> He said he will not be as involved on the baseball side, in part because he serves on the labor board for Major League Baseball’s owners. The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire after the 2026 season, and speculation is already underway about potential labor strife, with the owners, led by Monfort, contemplating implementing a salary cap for the sport. The MLB Players Association is adamantly against a cap.
> “I have a lot more responsibility with the league over the next year, so I have to allocate time there,” Dick, 71, said. “Plus, I’m getting older. Walker came to me and said he was interested in taking on (a bigger role). He can handle it.”
> Dick said that there were “close to 30” applicants for the president of baseball operations, but said he’s confident DePodesta is the right man at the right time.
I’m sure there’s some healthy skepticism that anything will change, but I’m optimistic. It would almost be hard to try to replicate the organizational ineptitude we’ve seen, so even a slight nudge in the other direction by Walker or Jonah Hill will reap major benefits.
It can’t possibly get worse is how I’m looking at things.