Rockies bringing DePodesta back, but will he recreate 'Moneyball' magic?

Paul DePodesta. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rockies bringing Paul DePodesta back to baseball, but will he recreate 'Moneyball' magic?

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Nov 6, 2025 5:43 PM ET

Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort must have recently watched the movie "Moneyball" and thought hiring one of those guys would be a good idea.

On Thursday, Fox Sports tweeted that the Rockies are planning to hire Paul DePodesta as their new head of baseball operations, citing multiple reports. The character actor Jonah Hill played in the film is loosely based on DePodesta.

That might seem wise for the downtrodden franchise. When DePodesta served as an assistant general manager for GM Billy Beane from 1999-2003, the Athletics (then based in Oakland) made four playoff appearances. His run included the 2002 season, during which they won 20 consecutive games between Aug. 13 and Sept. 4 of that year, the fourth-longest streak in a season in MLB history.

Since January 2016, however, he has served as chief strategy officer for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL. That tenure should make Rockies fans much less optimistic about this move.

The Rockies are naming Paul DePodesta as their new head of baseball operations, per multiple reports.

DePodesta has been the chief strategy officer with the Cleveland Browns since 2016. pic.twitter.com/k7aYxYtCwJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 6, 2025

Paul DePodesta bombed with the Browns

Under DePodesta, the Browns have compiled a 56-99-1 record, winning one playoff game. They'll likely miss the postseason again this season after a 2-6 start. The franchise's struggles are tied to many poor decisions made under the executive's leadership.

Just to name one, Cleveland acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in 2022 and then signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract extension. That may go down as one of the worst decisions in NFL history. Watson has a 9-10 record in three seasons in Cleveland and hasn't played this season because of an Achilles injury.

Clearly, he's meant for baseball, but that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to turn around a perennial loser in the Rockies. Colorado hasn't made the postseason since 2018. This past season, it went 43-119, its worst record in team history.

More importantly, the methods DePodesta used in "Moneyball" are now commonplace. Nearly all MLB teams have an analytics department to find top players, and teams that are spending big are winning championships. The Los Angeles Dodgers, 2025 World Series Champions, had the highest payroll ($350.02M, via Spotrac) in baseball this past season.

It's fitting that the Rockies made this decision. Like the Browns, they're not a forward-thinking organization.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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