Why I Think Paul DePodesta Kept Warren Schaeffer as Colorado Rockies Manager

 

The Colorado Rockies have decided to keep Warren Schaeffer in the dugout during the 2026 season. 

Schaeffer took over the club on an interim basis last May after the team dismissed Bud Black after losing 33 of their first 40 games. The team went 36-86 under Schaeffer to finish the season at 43-119 narrowly avoiding eclipsing both the 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses and the 2024 Chicago White Sox with 121 losses, respectively.

Earlier this month, the Rockies hired former Oakland A's assistant GM and Los Angeles Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta to lead its baseball operations team. Schaeffer was in the mix but hardly assured of the job. 

Here's why I think Schaeffer is still the Rockies manager.

No one else wanted the job.

After all, the Rockies finished 50 games back of the World Series champion Dodgers in the NL West and things are unlikely to get better anytime soon. How many big-league managerial candidates want to join a club highly likely to lose 100 games a season for the foreseeable future? It appears that Schaeffer earned a multi-year deal.

Mind you, in this particular case, loyalty does count for something. Schaeffer has been with the Rockies organization since 2007 as a minor league player and coach before joining the big-league coaching staff in 2023. He has paid his dues and is getting his chance even if the Rockies don't stand much of one.