Rockies hire Browns' DePodesta to run baseball operations
The Colorado Rockies hired Paul DePodesta as their new head of baseball operations, the club announced Friday.
DePodesta spent 10 seasons with the NFL's Cleveland Browns as their chief strategy officer before joining the Rockies. Jonah Hill famously portrayed DePodesta in the movie "Moneyball," which depicted part of his tenure with the Athletics between 1999 and 2003.
"I have always kept my eye on baseball, and this is an incredible opportunity to help make an impact in the next chapter of the Rockies," DePodesta said in a statement. "Building a consistent winner here is a shared goal and one that I am eager to embrace alongside Rockies leaders, staff, players, and fans."
DePodesta will replace Bill Schmidt in Colorado on a club that went an MLB-worst 43-119 in 2025 en route to missing the playoffs for a seventh straight season. The Browns had a 56-99-1 record with the 52-year-old as a member of their front office. He was part of the team during the contentious Deshaun Watson trade in March 2022, which subsequently resulted in the quarterback receiving a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million.
The Rockies reportedly targeted Arizona Diamondbacks assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye and Cleveland Guardians assistant GM Matt Forman for the role before moving on to DePodesta.
DePodesta also worked as the Los Angeles Dodgers general manager for 20 months after being hired in February 2004.