Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd could land with Braves, per report

Yesterday, we published a reaction piece to the Atlanta Braves' firing of general manager Frank Wren after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Basically, our take on the situation can summarized by saying Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort should take a cue from the Braves when evaluating his front office this offseason.

Of course, by all accounts, that won't happen; Dan O'Dowd seems to be the man for the job as long as he wants it. But maybe that last part is what might be coming into play.

O'Dowd could find his way to the Braves organization to fill an unspecified role, according to Peter Gammons. That would entail that Monfort has plans to make a change (unlikely), or that O'Dowd could be thinking about stepping down (possibly). Remember, the Rockies' GM tried to fire himself in 2012, but Monfort essentially pleaded him to stay during the great front office reshuffling that season.

However, the Rockies' situation has only become more frustrating since then for a myriad of reasons. Two highly paid stars can't stay on the field, Coors Field is starting to play like its pre-humidor self, the Los Angeles Dodgers have an unlimited amount of money ... all of these things contribute to the feeling of hopelessness surrounding the organization.

Sure, O'Dowd has more job security than any of us could ever dream of having, but whether he wants it is another story. And, when you really sit back and analyze the situation, could you blame him for wanting to bail?

It's worth noting that O'Dowd has previously worked under Braves interim GM Jon Hart when the two were with the Cleveland Indians in the 1990s, before O'Dowd took the job in Denver. While with the Indians, O'Dowd helped build one of the best teams of the decade. During his tenure as director of player development, Cleveland produced a host of quality big leaguers and even some Hall of Fame-type players, including Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and more.

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Christian Bergman, Eddie Butler, Jayson Aquino and Ken Roberts are headed to the Arizona Fall League, writes MLB's Thomas Harding. We'll have more on this later.

Terry Frei of the Denver Post chimes in with his take on how the Rockies should approach their front office this offseason.

Blogpile

Dick Monfort's stubbornness is killing the Rockies, writes David Martin of Rockies Review.

Eddie Butler pitching well at the big league level is a huge step in the right direction for the Rockies, says Mile High Sports' Zach Marburger.