With Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings slated to begin Monday in Las Vegas, the Colorado Rockies are on the clock to hire a new head of baseball operations by the time the meeting kicks off.

Reports have circulated that the top two candidates for the position — Arizona Diamondbacks Assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye and Cleveland Guardians Assistant GM Matt Forman — are no longer candidates for the Rockies job. The Rockies have kept a tight lid on what is happening with the interview process, and it’s not known how many people have interviewed and how many of those have been given serious consideration.

Another name that has circulated in reports is former Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino. It has been confirmed that Ottavino and Rockies owner Dick Monfort have talked, but the depth of those conversations and the seriousness of Ottavino’s candidacy are unknown. Ottavino has no front office experience.

Rockies officials confirmed Wednesday the search was ongoing.

With silence and secrecy coming from 20th and Blake, there are many unknowns about Colorado’s general manager search, which leads us to the big questions facing the Rockies this offseason.

Who will Colorado hire as its new GM?

While we still don’t know the answer to that question, it’s clear the Rockies are looking outside the organization. That’s something Executive Vice President Walker Monfort promised in an Oct. 1 news release and still seems to be the mantra of the search.

Who will be Colorado’s manager in 2026?

Warren Schaeffer, who posted a 36-86 record overseeing the Rockies in 2025 after manager Bud Black was fired May 11, made clear to The Denver Gazette he wanted a chance to be Colorado’s manager in 2026.

“I feel like I can bring a culture, given an offseason and given a spring training, and not just taking over the middle of the year, but being able to institute some changes and some adjustments in how we do our process,” Schaeffer told The Denver Gazette in mid-September.

With Bill Schmidt out as Colorado’s GM, it’s possible changes and adjustments will happen throughout the organization heading into 2026. However, there’s no guarantee Schaeffer will get his wish to manage the team next season. That will likely be one of the first decisions made after the hire in the front office, but Schaeffer is in the running for the position.

Will Kris Bryant really return in 2026?

The Rockies activated Bryant off the 60-day injured list Wednesday in a procedural move as the team prepares for free agency and other player moves that come with the offseason.

Bryant’s activation does not mean the man signed to a $182 million deal that extends through 2028 will be ready to play when spring training begins. He recently said he has not considered retirement even though the pain from lumbar degenerative disc disease has extended into his everyday life as well. He added the pain isn’t easing even with rest and offseason activities.

Colorado’s new GM will have to decide if it’s time to end the Bryant experiment and work out a financial arrangement to terminate his contract and time with the Rockies. Bryant played in just 11 games in 2025 and if an uptick this season isn’t forecast because of Bryant’s health, it’s likely time to pull the plug and move on.

Will the Rockies spend money this offseason?

Recent offseasons have seen Colorado spend little on free agents, and that trend could continue in 2026 as teams remain cautious ahead of MLB’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expiring at the end of next season.

Reports have indicated the Rockies are planning to hire a chief revenue and strategy officer that will help the franchise grow on the business side. That means funding data, analytics and strategy — an area the Rockies require to catch up with the rest of Major League Baseball.

Colorado could put its resources this offseason toward that side of the business and keep its focus on younger and more inexpensive talent until the CBA situation is resolved and financial decisions leaguewide, including talk of a salary cap and floor and revenue sharing, are ironed out.

At the minimum, the Rockies must add starting pitching depth, so look for the team to land veteran help that won’t expand the budget greatly. However, the new head of baseball operations may have a different approach to building the roster.

Colorado’s front office hire will set forth a series of dominoes for the franchise that will determine the path for the 2026 season, both in the dugout and on the field. That is why the decision is one of the biggest the franchise has ever made.