The Colorado Rockies’ confusing search for a new head of baseball operations took several new turns on Monday.
In the morning, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reported that Amiel Sawdaye of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Matt Forman of the Cleveland Guardians—two of the team’s only known candidates and finalists—were no longer in the running for the position after additional interviews last week. Sawdaye, the Diamondbacks’ senior vice president and assistant general manager, was considered a favorite for the role.
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The news capped off a weekend of conflicting reporting and vague league sources surrounding the Rockies’ open front office role. There are currently no known candidates or finalists for the position with the general managers meeting in Las Vegas only a week away.
However, a new twist came early Monday afternoon.
Tim Healey, a Boston Red Sox beat writer for the Boston Globe, reported that former right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino had spoken with Rockies owner and CEO Dick Monfort about the position.
Ottavino, 39, spent seven seasons in a Rockies uniform. From 2012 through 2018 he posted a 3.41 ERA over 390 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He left the organization as a free agent to join his hometown New York Yankees.
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The New York City native pitched just 1 2/3 innings in 2025, potentially signaling the end of his playing career.
A long-time student of the game—especially when it comes to pitch developments and adjustments—Ottavino has expressed interest in pursuing coaching or front office roles once his playing career ends.
While Ottavino himself has not confirmed the report, his potential involvement is an interesting development.
Update: 11/03/2025 at 3:30 PM MDT
This afternoon Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post appeared to confirm that both Sawdaye and Forman are indeed out of the running. In addition, Saunders reported that discussions with Adam Ottavino had been “informal.”
Troy Renck—also of the Denver Post—also had a deeply concerning update on the Rockies’ search for their new front office leader.
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Renck reports that not only are the top two candidates out of the running, but that the Rockies are essentially starting their search from scratch.
“[I’ve been] told by a source that candidates might have balked at being restricted in personnel moves,” Renck posted on his Facebook page. “There has been talk in [the] industry that [the] Rockies don’t want to overhaul [the] front office until there is a new labor agreement in place after this season.”
While the Rockies themselves have yet to make any official statements regarding their search, the reporting from today and over the weekend nonetheless appears deeply troubling.
This is a developing story and Purple Row will provide more information as it becomes available.