Did the Colorado Rockies make the right move sticking with Warren Schaeffer?

Did the Colorado Rockies make the right move sticking with Warren Schaeffer?

Today on Locked on Rockies, they make it official. The interim tag is removed and Warren Schaefer will be heading up the Rockies once again. Is it the right move, the wrong move? Let’s dive into it all. You are Locked on Rockies, your daily Colorado Rockies podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. your team every day. Rock and Rockies fans, welcome into the Lockdown Rockies podcast for today, the 25th day of November in the year 2025. I’m your host of the Lockdown Rockies podcast, Paul Holden, bringing you your daily Colorado Rockies talk right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, where you can find your team every day. And with your support, thanks to your support, we are the number one sports podcast network. Thank you so much for all your support and thank you for continuing to tune in to Lockdown Rockies all off season long and regular season, offseason, reg postseason one day. Fortunately, I haven’t necessarily led to much luck for the Rockies in my five seasons now talking about the team. But uh hey, maybe it’s all going to change. But one thing that didn’t change for the Rockies, they will be going into 2026 with the same manager, Warren Schaefer. sticking around. Lots of buzz. You know, it was interesting kind of to seeing some of the reactions here about the uh the this move here. Quick thought as before we uh dive into everything. Saw this coming. Not too surprised. And uh I’ll explain why coming up here in just a little bit. Before we go any further, I want to let you know that today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the app today. Uh, and of course if it’s your first time checking out the show, I am Paul Holden. I am your Rockies fan extraordinaire, but bringing you your daily Colorado Rockies talk here for over five seasons now. I’ve been following this team as a avid Rockies fan my entire life as we uh now dive into the big news here. And news again, not surprising or shocking to me whatsoever. I I I thought this was coming from a mile away. I thought you you could have just wiped out the interim tag in in in general there. Uh when when when you made the move, I you fig I figured just this is going to follow kind of the usual Rocky’s path of interim guy that that that has done I guess depending on who you ask enough to keep the job. Uh but but is an an option and I think this is really it. Does Warren Schaefer, the manager, make the Rockies a contender immediately and change all their bad habits and and and and is is he going to be a manager that unlocks the next level of Rocky’s baseball? Probably not. But at the same time, there’s something to be said about the stability that he did bring to the team and the the fact that you really didn’t hear a lot of negative stuff from players about Schaefer. And obviously they have to be careful with how they do that consider, you know, walking the fine line of of being a professional and whatnot, but they’re it’s still pretty impressive to to hold together that locker room and hold together the vibes from being as miserable as they could have been and and kind of keep the the this team in a in a spot where it could have been way more toxic and angry and frustrating. on top of how frustrating and and everything it was. Plus, you have a good relationship. He he he’s it was spoke highly about by the players. He’s had interactions with a lot of the players. There goes my my little shirt there. Uh but anyway, uh the point is I don’t think that they needed to do something drastically different at manager because at the end of the day, is that the spot that’s going to drastically impact and influence who and what the Rockies are next year? Now the obvious answer and the easy answer you would be yes of course it’s the manager he’s going to be call you know what he’s going to be implementing his ideas his philosophies his strategies and things but you know there’s a lot of uh conversation about how much the uh uh manager even even how much power they even have how much control they have over the the the lineup and such and I think Schaefer’s probably got some good control and and influence there. But at this point, it’s way more about what Schaefer has been given on a roster and what the how the what the Rockies will do in free agency and throughout the off season for him. And and this is why for me one of the things that was really infuriating about last year was as you’re going through this as as you were as they were navigating this, you know, a similar time this year backtoback 100 loss seasons, you know, you’ve been dealing with some tough stuff here. Bud Black was not brought back immediately, but then you you just settled back and went with Bud Black. Bud Black’s tenure had had there was enough that we had seen and enough evidence that Bud Black was not going to be a turning a turning piece for this this Rocky whether it’s the roster. He he’s not able to use the roster that he’s given to to turn it into a winner. So there was no real point in bringing Bud Black in and then having him start and go through this whole off seasonason and everything this year when you you should have known that he he was not going to be able to be it wasn’t working with Bud Black. It wasn’t working with Bud Black after 2024 and it was abundantly clear that going back to Bud Black in 2025 was a mistake. And even though the Rockies lost a lot of their at least Schaefer is does bring a different philosophy and approach. And now with the with the removal of the interim tag with it, I believe we’ll I’ll check some details here. Uh we we’ll head to MLB.com. We’ll get some uh some details here uh in in just a second. But at least now he can go in and implement his vision his way and do things completely how he wants to. when you are operating under that interim thing, it was basically, hey, you just field the team, make the calls, back him up and and run the show there. And and with them not immediately, you know, making that hire and promoting him during the season. He was, you know, he probably was sitting there like, I don’t know there who who it’s up in the air. Now Schaefer gets to go in and implement his vision, his ideas, his philosophies all throughout the off season into uh spring training and into the year. And above all, he can just if he can if he if he keeps a good locker room and if he and if he does help us, you know, if he does turn show turn things around next year, if the Rockies do come out and they are a better team and improv in some metrics and the Rockies start building a little momentum, that’s exactly the kind of thing you’re working for here as the timeline for the Rockies certainly suggests they’re not going to be in any any sort of competitive, you know, in in in contention anytime soon. So, if Schaefer can just come in and and keep things uh keep things organized and bring in a little bit of that younger different mindset, bring in a little bit more of the analytics, bring in a little bit more of that, especially hopefully working with Dodesta and he can come in and and now say, “Hey, in the games last year, this is where we were lacking. These are the this is the information we need during games or the information that we want to have during games or or XYZ. This is what I was missing while managing the Rockies and working under the Rockies last year. Can you help me get better here? Ideally, those two are going to work together to help bring this team up to speed in the analytical world. Hopefully the those two are going to be able to work together to maximize their resources to help getting these Rockies players into and developing them into quality baseballers, major league baseballers, because again, we’ve seen flash in the pan moments. We’ve seen things, but we the the the the development issue of the Rockies is clear. And and if the big part here is that Warren Schaefer’s job should be about player development. That’s why he was, you know, not only the stability, not only it being a a familiar face, but this should be a guy that that can show you that he he is developing these players, helping guys get to the next step. That should be the story. That should be the things we’re watching here throughout spring training and into the season next year. Because all in all, out of all the moves the Rockies needed to make this off season, I’m okay with this move being the being an in-house hire here. I think I think Schaefer pro provides you a fine stop gap manager for a couple of years with guys that that that you need to take steps up, you know, need to improve and and and need to, you know, develop. Well, they have a a relationship with this their manager here and they can work with them and work on the things that they that they want to achieve together to get to that level. Certainly there there might have been some buzzworthy names or anything and such, but at the end of the day, manager isn’t going to be the overall thing that really changes things for the Rockies. It was different with Bud Black though because it was a long tenure here and it was like, okay, what is what exactly are we doing by sticking with Bud Black? what exactly are we doing by continuing to, you know, kid ourselves that he’s this pitcher whisperer at Kors Field still and and he’s unlocking the potential of these players when in reality that you could have pointed to a few seasons where it just was like what what exactly are we doing here? I’m hoping now that this this opportunity gives Schaefer to to be the bridge to really start help bringing the Rockies into the modern game. But I was uh I was surprised to see that there was a lot of uh criticism about the moves and uh the there was some interesting thoughts here as uh the the range of intrigue and the range of response to this move was uh pretty varied on social media. Let’s talk about that coming up next on today’s episode of Locked on Rockies. Before we do that though, got to tell you about the folks that helped make this show possible. And that includes FanDuel, folks. I mean, how much sports do we got going on right now? The NBA, we got that in full swing. Now, not only we got the NBA Cup action going on. We got the regular season, the Nuggets in for another exciting season, but we got the Broncos and all the football action going on. We got hockey. We got the red hot avalanche and you can get in on the action right now. FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. Yes, that’s right. Your first $5 bet wins on It could be something super simple. 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Thanking you for making us your first listen of the day and shouting out all of our everydayers for your support, making us the number one sports podcast platform. Thank you so much for all your support and for tuning in and enjoying the show, hanging out with us here throughout the off season and more. Really appreciate that. And uh let me know what is on your mind. Warren Schaefer returning as manager here for the Colorado Rockies. And the response was fascinating. Uh you know, when you really look at it, there was uh you know, some people condemning it. saw some uh some Denver radio sport uh folks condemning the move and and saying that it’s a it’s it’s it’s wrong. Had some people kind of with mixed reactions. I think most people that I I was kind of looking at from that have been following and covering the Rockies not too surprised and kind of just reacting to the fact that it was uh you a move that is is is is fine for where the Rockies are at. I don’t think anyone I I didn’t sit this see here saying it it was the best move that they’ve seen the Rockies make. But I think for the people that see this move and and and Christian Sea over there DNVR Rockies had an interesting thread about this on on Twitter as well, but it I I can understand why you would look at that as a Rocky’s fan and be going same old same old. He was part of that team last year. I don’t want anything to do with that. I don’t want to deal with that. I don’t want to see anything associated with that. No peace should have returned. But and and some other folks also are sitting there and saying no one wants the job. Folks, remember a as much as you know we were talking about the stuff with Paul T. Podesta and stuff, people want jobs in Major League Baseball. anybody that that has any sort of inkling and or want to be a manager in Major League Baseball, if they could get the Rockies job, if they had an opportunity to get the Rockies job, they would be all over it. They would want the job. That as much as you could sit there and and and say it’s the Rockies, it’s this, it’s that, it’s that. It’s a very highly coveted job. no matter no matter what they what they are. I I I remember I early on in my uh before I left for college, I got to sit in the booth uh during the KOA broadcast, I got to listen to the radio team uh do do their do their jobs, do their work there. And I can’t remember if it was Jack or Jerry, which one said this to me, but I asked I was like, “Does it ever get tough to do your job?” And they were like, “There’s 30 there’s there’s 30 teams, two guys in the booth, so 60 of these jobs in the country. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” And like that really stuck with me. I mean that that that’s what you got to remind yourself here. No matter what the situation of the team is, it’s still a rare rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some of these guys, especially when you’re talking about managerial spots here. And and now Schaefer has the opportunity to to to to really, you know, Schaefer has the opportunity to help open the door for for what can be this the next era of Mar Mario baseball. That’s a Freudian slip right there. Of Colorado Rockies baseball. it it’s going to be impo I mean we’re again we are off seasonason it’s November we are we are we are playing the whatif game here but if next year again the Rockies look like a better team across the board the run differential is better the pitching staff drops the uh the the RA and the runs allowed and and and the offense sees some improvements here we see uh uh Brettton Doyle and Ezekiel Tovar return to form we see Hunter Goodman you know make it the norm we see Jordan Beck you know break out we see Mickey Monia take strides on uh you know, you know, be becoming a little bit more impactful on defense or becoming really impactful as a base steeler or something like that. If if if we are able to see that he’s opening the door for for improving what is by by you know on paper a a not good Rocky’s roster that he inherited by the way at the midst of the worst start in Major League Baseball history. I think that should build some confidence. But I think anything that that has any sort of association with 2025 is going to warrant some hesitation. I I don’t think that this is a I don’t think that that Warren Schaefer and is going to completely change everything for the Colorado Rockies. I I I think that’s far from the case. Well, I shouldn’t say far from the case. I that’s because that’s that’s really not fair. It’s a young again, now that he is the full official manager, he should have more of a say, especially when you’re talking about the fact that he was dealing with the front office that was in transition clearly, you know, with who who is going to be calling the shots, what does the GM, you know, look like, what does the president of baseball operation situation look like? He’s in a completely different situation than where he was as the interim manager of the team. this this is going to be his opportunity to show what he can do as the manager. So, I I I I think the it’s the the cynicism and the earned uh doubt of the Colorado Rockies and and this looking like, oh wow, you know, internal hire blah blah blah. I all that I can see. But you’re if you’re just looking at that, you’re you you haven’t you’re you’re not following it enough. You’re not you’re not looking deep enough, I should say, because you really need to look at the realistic timeline for for the Rockies here and and and consider the fact that this deal is probably just going to help piece together a transition, the continued transitionary period of the Colorado Rockies and through this rebuild. Now, through this rebuild, he could he could, you know, really impress. He could he could uh you know help guys unlock some some new level of of of whatever and that’ll change the game. But I think the the goal and the plan of this is to just fill the next couple of seasons as the Rockies completely, you know, have to completely re-evaluate their roster throughout the entire organization and start seeing what they have and start maximizing what they have there. And if Schaefer is able to do that, then that’s a great sign. Let’s get some uh details here uh from the Manny Randol here on MLB.com. The club announced Monday that Warren Schaefer, who took over as interim manager last season when Carlo parted ways with Bud Black in May, has been named the team’s manager in 2026. as he sheds the interim tag and becomes the eighth full-time manager in franchise history. Schaefer said a major goal for him is to continue guiding a young roster towards success through collective strength. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this team. He said, “My focus remains on continuing to build a strong, unified culture based on accountability, hard work, and trust. We have a group of guys who care deeply about competing the right way, and my goal is to keep strengthening those relationships while leading a team that our fans can embrace and be proud of.” Schaefer, 40, served as the Rocky’s third base coach and infield coach prior to being named the interim manager. He’s been with the organization in a coaching/player development capacity for more than a decade after his professional playing career ended. He was selected by the Rockies in the 38th round. Wow. 38th. Remember remember that all those crazy uh those crazy drafts. Um and here’s what Deep Podesta said. We’re confident Warren is the right person to lead our club moving forward, said Rocky’s president of baseball operations, Paul Deep Odesta, who was hired earlier this month. He has established strong relationships with our players, understands the culture of this franchise, and embodies the energy and work ethic that we want on and off the field. Schaefer took the helm for the Rockies on May 11th after the club began the season seven and 33. Oh my god, man. Like it’s it’s amazing when you just read some of the stats from last year after, you know, now the season’s been been gone for a month and some change now and then you just like realize like the Rockies did if I didn’t the Rockies lose 50 games before winning 10? Wasn’t it that close? Like I mean crazy. Like oh my god. Um, back here to the the the piece with one of the youngest rosters in the majors in a franchise record 13 players making their debut in 2025. It was another season of growth pains for Colorado that ended with a franchise record 119 losses. It was a rocky start for Schaefer after he took over as interim manager with Colorado losing 17 of the next 19 games. But in a stretch that I indicated Schaefer was able to connect with his young players and help them cultivate their skills at the major league level. Club won eight of its next 15, nearly doubling its season win total in the process. The Rockies played nearly 500 baseball in the first six weeks after the All-Star break, winning 17 of 35 games and further bolstering the case that Schaefer had found a way to somewhat steady the ship before Colorado ended the season by losing 23 of the final 29 games. I I I think that’s really what the the my main takeaway here. Why? What What is the one of the key driving points, the key features of why Warren Schaefer got the job is his relationship with the players. It’s it’s clear that he had a relationship with the players that was was was positive enough to not only keep the locker room in a good spot, but also work its way up throughout the organization and be recognized there. I I I can’t remember exactly, but I think I saw Patrick Saunders had a quote from Kyle Freeland saying that he loved playing for him and that stuff. And you know that that is the type of stuff you kind of got to say or or yada yada yada. But it it’s clear that that relationship and the strength of those relationship between Schaefer and the players I I think really is the bedrock of why they made the moves. And I think Deepoda’s quote there backs that up. Let’s just focus on the fact that, you know, this this should follow the the timeline here and and would force the Rockies to make a decision in a couple of years if things progress the way that that Schaefer and the team are hoping for. But in order for them to get there, in order for them to reach that, it’s going to take a lot of work and quite frankly, a lot of luck. Locked on Rockies here back for our third and final segment as we’ve been reacting to the news that Warren Schaefer has been named manager for the Colorado Rockies in 2026 and the interim tag removed there. So, the uh Rockies are in a situation now where they are starting to fill out some of these positions that they need to get filled out as the very important meetings coming up and all of the other decisions that they have to make as again, you know, they’re they’re still making some moves. The Rockies bringing in another lefty uh there I think through another minor league deal. I’ll get the details. We’ll we’ll probably touch on that on on the later episode. another another small low-level move which but adding adding some veteran depth to the uh adding adding lefty veteran depth to the bullpen even uh you we’ll see if that pans out. All right, folks. Uh my my closing thought here with this whole thing is is it this should follow the timeline, right? And it’s in a situation here where it could be a win-win for both sides if you’re Warren Schaefer and the Rockies here. If Warren Schaefer, you know, through his player development skills and his relationship with the players, he’s able to to not only get, you know, his job last year was to stabilize really and just kind of, you know, do what you can, do your best to get through the season. It felt like if he now with the pressure of it being this is your this is your ship. This is your calls. This is you know we’re we’re pointing to you and and and and this is you are the manager. You are the guy in charge. If two years from now the Rockies have improved, then the Rockies could be in a situation where they’re able they can extend or stick with or or or keep going with Schaefer because he’s proven and earned the the the opportunity to continue and and really take this team to the next level ideally in a couple of years. And if it’s if it’s not if it’s not successful or it’s run-of-the-mill or the Rockies are or are just stuck in the mud and not going anywhere, then you move on. And in reality, are you going to be much further behind than where you’re at now on because of your manager? Maybe. But I don’t think so. especially when you look at the trajectory and and and and where the Rockies have been and and how they’ve continued throughout these years. So, I I at the end of the day, would it have been nice to maybe get a flashy name or or or for some folks to continue the trend of of of going outside the org and all that stuff? Sure. But I think just bringing in a new manager specifically, we’re we’re just focusing on the manager side of this for for for fixing the Rockies. I I I don’t think a manager from outside the organization is just going to be able to come in and and say, “Oh, I can fix all of this and do everything.” Especially when given the roster, given the players that you have. as as much as I have I I was critical of Bud Black and have been have been uh in other episodes and this one, Bud Black was also just, you know, dealing with the the the the rosters and the lineups that he was given. Those were the teams that were built around him uh or or built for him. And and that’s going to be part of this as well. the the Rockies are not only they are they going to have to be able to to get Schaefer to develop their players, but they’re going to have to invest in them and they’re going to have to invest in the pieces around them as well if there is success. Something that you can be critical of the Rockies not doing enough of, you know, to to to maximize their time when Bud Black was uh you know, having winning baseball teams in Colorado. But my point is this is a fine stabilizer move. And as I’ve said multiple times throughout this off season and since really they they named him interim manager, you knew that this was the when someone has an interim role in the Rockies, there’s a good chance they have at least a great shot at getting the job. And sure enough, Warren Schaefer got the job. But I think this one this one doesn’t of of the usual frustrations about the move. This one is a move that that can prove to be an what what what could be an interesting uh opportunity for Schaefer and the Rockies to show us that they show us that hey this is different. We’ll see. Only time will tell. But folks that is going to do it for today’s episode of Locked On Rockies. Please let me know what you thought of the Rocky’s decision to keep Warren Schaefer in the Locked on Rockies YouTube comment section down below. Fire off your Rockies hot takes. Let me know what’s on your mind when it comes to the Colorado Rockies. And thank you so much for making us your first listen of the day. For your second listen of the day, go check out Locked on MLB and Locked on MLB Game Night. We’ll keep reacting to uh all of the moves as the Rockies continue to uh take shape throughout the off seasonason here on Locked on Rockies. So don’t miss out on that. But if you need more Colorado sports coverage, locked on Broncos, Avalanche Nuggets, Buffs, free and streaming on your favorite streaming services and on the Locked On Rocky’s YouTube channel. Until next time, I’m Paul Holden saying so long from the Locked on Rockies podcast.

The Colorado Rockies have removed the interim tag from Warren Schaeffer’s title, making him the manager of the squad in 2026. Was this the right move given the state of the team and his performance in 2025?

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