"Can Pirates hire Brad Pitt?"; "Jonah Hill wasn’t available?" - Fans roast Rockies for hiring Paul DePodesta in front office role

The Rockies made one of the most surprising moves ahead of the 2026 season by hiring Paul DePodesta as its president of baseball operations. DePodesta made a name for himself as an assistant with the Oakland Athletics during their "Moneyball" era when he worked with general manager Billy Beane. His name made it to the mainstream when actor Jonah Hill portrayed him in the eponymous movie.

Before being hired by the Rockies, DePodesta worked with the NFL's Cleveland Browns as its chief strategy officer. Not one to shy away from making bold decisions, the executive was instrumental in the trade that landed controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Given DePodesta's reputation in both sports, fans from different fanbases had hilarious reactions about the hiring.

In a decade with the NFL's Browns, the squad saw fluctuating success that bore just two playoff appearances. In 2020, the team lost in the divisional round against the Chiefs. While in 2023, they lost in the wild card round to the Texans.

It will be the first time since the early 2010s that DePodesta has been put in charge of a position in a baseball organization. After his productive stint with the A's, he was hired as the general manager of the Dodgers in 2004. He lasted almost two years on the job before being fired due to poor results.

He was then scooped up as a special assistant for baseball operations by the Padres in 2006 and was eventually promoted to executive vice president in 2008. Then on November 2009, he was hired by the Mets as the vice president of player development and scouting and stayed there until he was hired in the National Football League.

The offseason for National League West teams has already been to a peculiar start when it comes to management hires. On October 22, the San Francisco Giants hired college baseball skipper Tony Vitello as its new manager, replacing Bob Melvin. This was followed up by the Padres who just yesterday, announced former reliever Craig Stammen as its new manager to replace the retiring Mike Shildt.

Hunter Goodman clinches historic Silver Slugger Award for Rockies

Rockies back stop Hunter Goodman made history by being the first catcher in team history to claim the prestigious Silver Slugger Award. Goodman was the lone representative of the otherwise struggling squad after a breakout season that saw him post a .278 batting average and .843 OPS with 31 home runs, 91 RBIs, and 28 doubles.

Edited by Daniel Santiago