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Will Rockies Use This Logical Front Office Set Up or Continue Making Wrong Decisions?

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 9:00 PM ET

Bill Schmidt is no longer the general manager of the Colorado Rockies.

It was revealed that the longtime team employee and GM since 2021 mutually agreed to part ways with the franchise, a decision that at least has brought some semblance of hope to a fanbase that has been dealt the worst stretch of baseball in team history.

But will it even matter if the Rockies -- and more specifically owner Dick Monfort -- continue to run this organization like a mom-and-pop shop instead of an actual professional sports team?

The easy answer is "no." Because it doesn't matter who is in charge if an unqualified owner when it comes to the baseball side of things is making decisions about personnel. That's why Troy Renck of The Denver Post (subscription required) laid out exactly what needs to happen when it comes to the structuring of this front office going forward.

Rockies Need to Set Up Their Front Office This Way

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When discussing the rumored target of Thad Levine -- the former Rockies front office employee from 1999-2005 -- Renck gave a clear image of how Colorado needs to set things up going forward.

"He must be named president of baseball operations with Walker Monfort in charge of the business side. The Rockies need a cultural reset, and Levine is capable of orchestrating this, but only if he is given independence without interference ... The Rockies need a mission statement, a vision and a chain of command. For this to work, Levine would report to Walker Monfort and Walker Monfort to Dick Monfort," he wrote.

That might sound simple for many, but it's been uncommon under Monfort's ownership. Getting to the point where this is the actual set up -- which is how other organizations are run -- is crucial to getting the Rockies back on track with this rebuild.

Baseball people have to run the baseball side of things, which means the Monforts need to stay in their lanes when it comes to the business side of things while their new front office takes care of what occurs on the field.

Whether that will come to fruition or not is more important than who the Rockies actually bring in. Because even the most talented executive will be limited if they have to listen to the demands of an owner regarding personnel.

So once Colorado makes their hiring decision regarding who will become their new general manager or even the president of baseball operations, how things are structured will be the next thing to monitor.