Colorado Rockies Undergo Complete Overhaul, Hiring Key Dodgers Executive as New General Manager

The Rockies have chosen to bring in Josh Byrnes, the Dodgers’ vice president who played a vital role in their title defense, to serve as the team’s new general manager.

Byrnes has been highly effective in overseeing the Dodgers’ scouting and player development for over a decade. Paul DePodesta, president of baseball operations for the Rockies, believes Byrnes’ talents have been overlooked due to the Dodgers’ strong ability to sign and trade star players, but his expertise is crucial for the Rockies as they undergo a full rebuild after seven consecutive losing seasons.

DePodesta said, “The Dodgers have excelled in many areas over the past decade, but what’s often missed is that they rarely have high draft picks. Their consistently strong records usually place them at the end of the draft, yet their farm system remains top-tier. That’s no accident. It requires tremendous effort, including scouting and player development, both departments operating at full speed. Byrnes has played a key role in that.”

Byrnes, 55, is no stranger to the Rockies, having served as assistant general manager under Dan O’Dowd from October 1999 through the 2002 season.

DePodesta and Byrnes first worked together in the late 1990s with the Cincinnati Reds, marking the start of their careers. During Byrnes’ first full season as the Rockies’ assistant GM, he was just 29, making him the youngest assistant GM in the National League at the time. Meanwhile, DePodesta was the youngest assistant GM in all of Major League Baseball at 27, assisting Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane.

In an official team statement, Byrnes said, “I’m thrilled to return to the Rockies, especially at such an exciting time for the team’s future. It’s a rare opportunity to work again with Paul DePodesta, and I can’t wait to collaborate with him and the entire staff to build a championship-caliber team for the Rockies.”

Byrnes brings extensive management experience from other teams. He served as assistant GM for the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, during which the team won the 2004 World Series. He also held the GM position with the Arizona Diamondbacks from October 2005 to July 2010 and with the San Diego Padres from October 2011 to June 2014.

DePodesta said he and Byrnes have known each other for 30 years and only realized after leaving Cleveland that they had been rivals in high school baseball games around Washington, D.C. He added, “I’ve said it before and will say it again: every conversation with him makes me smarter—from our first day working together in Cleveland until now. I’ve always admired his intelligence and meticulous attention to detail. He notices baseball nuances that most people either miss or ignore, which has always fascinated me.” DePodesta confirmed they will collaborate on all major decisions across every level of the major leagues.

During Byrnes’ tenure, the Dodgers won three World Series titles (2020, 2024, 2025), a key factor in the Rockies’ decision to hire him. One of the Dodgers’ secrets to success is their synergy among drafting, international scouting, player development, coaching, and data analytics, enabling them to both cultivate star players and supply role players and trade assets through their farm system.

Besides drafting well, the Dodgers consistently strengthen their farm depth through trades. The core of their success lies in a team culture that values and rewards players from the farm system while continuously recognizing the contributions of scouts, analysts, and coaches. Over the past decade, the Dodgers have ranked in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s midseason and postseason farm system rankings 17 times.

DePodesta summarized, “Josh and I share many common philosophies about how we want to build an environment. Neither of us believes we have all the answers—we know we don’t. But we enjoy surrounding ourselves with curious people because we want to discover more answers together.”