Colorado Rockies: Jeff Bridich steps down as GM, so what next?

In a stunning announcement on Monday morning, the Colorado Rockies announced that the club and Executive Vice President/General Manager Jeff Bridich have mutually agreed that Bridich will step down from his role, effective immediately.

Here is what we know about the Jeff Bridich news from the Colorado Rockies.

The news sent shockwaves throughout not only the Rockies fanbase, but also throughout Major League Baseball as well. Bridich and Rockies owner Dick Monfort came under intense scrutiny in early February when the Nolan Arenado trade to St. Louis was announced. Shortly after the trade was completed, one rival GM went as far as to say he was surprised that Bridich had kept his job.

During that now-infamous press conference, Bridich went as far as to say the following about his performance following back-to-back losing campaigns that followed consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in franchise history:

“Look, I mean if we’re looking to pass blame, I mean you can blame me,” said Bridich to media that February day, including Rox Pile. “It’s the job of the GM to create a team that that competes and wins as much as humanly possible.”

Colorado is off to an 8-13 start this season and currently sits at the bottom of the National League West standings.

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Also as part of Monday’s news, Greg Feasel has been named as Colorado’s president and chief operating officer. According to a news release from the Rockies, he will now oversee baseball operations in addition to his current responsibilities leading all facets of the club’s business operations, including spearheading the organization’s role as host of the 2021 MLB All-Star Game festivities this July.

Previously, Feasel was the Rockies Executive Vice President and COO. He has been in the Rockies front office since 1996.

Keli McGregor served as the president for the Rockies from 2001 until his untimely death in 2010. The role had not been filled until the promotion of Feasel.

So what does this mean for the Rockies? The team said it will soon be appointing an interim general manager for the rest of the season and a search for a full-time GM will begin once the 2021 postseason is over. Until then, Monfort, Feasel, and the interim GM will likely guide Colorado’s decisions, including the future of All-Star shortstop Trevor Story in Denver with his contract expiring at the end of this season.

It also means a fanbase will look to see what these changes really mean when it comes to personnel moves and the future direction of the team. That direction will likely start to show itself soon, especially with Story discussed as a potential trade option.

Note: This story will be updated with further developments throughout the day.

UPDATE:

Bridich has some thoughts on today and what led up to it.

SECOND UPDATE: Rockies owner Dick Monfort has released this statement