GM Josh Byrnes joined the Rockies for ‘the challenge’ and to team with Paul DePodesta

Josh Byrnes had it good in Los Angeles Very good During his seasons there as the Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations he won three World Series rings including back-to-back championships in - He also had one of the biggest payrolls in the majors and helped build one of baseball s best farm systems So why in the name of Shohei Ohtani did he give all of that up to come to Colorado and try to pull the -loss Rockies out of the basement Two major reasons First he accepted the job as the Rockies new GM because he liked the intriguing challenge Second he was eager to work with Paul DePodesta the new president of baseball operations whom he s known since they both got their start in Cleveland s front office in the mid- s It was a hard decision the -year-old Byrnes disclosed Friday during an introductory Zoom session with Colorado media I loved every day with the Dodgers and have a tremendous amount of respect for the people But I ve known Paul for years and he and I have constantly embraced challenges I think he s brilliant I think there s a lot we can both bring to this and also not just tell stories about what we ve done but create a new future for this franchise Byrnes will join DePodesta in Orlando Fla when baseball s winter meetings begin on Monday He announced he still requirements to get up to speed on what the Rockies have and what they don t He also knows he s taking on an enormous challenge Obviously losses there s no sugarcoating it he declared There s a lot of work to do But if you really talk to people around the competition there s quite a bit of intrigue in trying to solve it here Byrnes is coming from an organization viewed as cutting-edge to the Rockies a franchise seen as behind the times in analytics coaching and team-building DePodesta however revealed the Rockies are making moves to catch up There s been real power behind investing in the baseball operation I won t get into the details of exactly how we plan to allocate particular of those funds but there s a real appetite for that DePodesta revealed We all realize that it s a necessity in order to compete in in contemporary times s event Josh and I have both been in situations with immense guidance and we ve also been in situations that have had lesser support also by a notable amount We feel very relaxed with what s available here The mindset is that there s a desire to invest pretty heavily on the baseball side While fans of the Broncos Nuggets and Avalanche can dream of championships Rockies fans have suffered through seven consecutive losing seasons Byrnes wants to help change that I wouldn t come in here without selected optimism and confidence that we can get there he disclosed The excitement around those teams in Denver for winning is something you can feel I m sure We want to be part of that without a doubt Roster moves The Rockies continue to tweak their roster On Friday they waived catcher Drew Romo the th overall pick in The Orioles claimed Romo Right-handed pitcher Anthony Molina a Rule draft pick was also waived Molina was claimed by the Braves Romo hit just in major league games over two seasons He managed to overcome the yips he came down with on throws back to the mound but became expendable when Hunter Goodman became an All-Star and the first catcher in Rockies history to earn a Silver Slugger Award last season Also backup Braxton Fulford earned big-league playing time and surpassed Romo on the depth chart Two weeks ago the Rockies non-tendered strikeout-prone first baseman Michael Toglia He was the Rockies top pick rd overall in the Draft out of UCLA Related Articles Rockies Journal Paul DePodesta Josh Byrnes face three big tasks as winter meetings begin Renck Rockies nail it with hiring of GM Josh Byrnes but it doesn t mean anything yet He must prove it Rockies hire Josh Byrnes as new general manager take him away from Dodgers front office Rockies name Nicky Schmidt senior VP chief revenue and strategy officer Rockies Paul DePodesta Warren Schaeffer map plan to start winning a lot sooner than you think Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis