"The words come quickly. Without focus, it's hard to keep up with Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd. The same could be said for his offseason. After a disappointing 73-89 record that left the Rockies closer to last than first in the National League West, O'Dowd overhauled the roster with a series of trades and free-agent additions.

The motivation was simple, he said during an interview Thursday in his Coors Field office.

"Changing the culture motivated the changes," O'Dowd said. "And one change led to another. There was a vision of what we wanted, but all the dots kind of connected on their own. Overall, we don't think anyone we signed or traded for is going to sprinkle pixie dust on our issues or make them go away. That has to happen internally with us doing things the right way consistently.""