George Postolos Steps Down As Astros President

Astros president and CEO George Postolos announced this morning that he is resigning from his role, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). Postolos spent the better part of seven years helping Jim Crane to finalize his purchase of the club, writes David Barron of the Houston Chronicle. Barron's piece includes the following quote from Crane on Postolos' sudden and unexpected departure:

““We appreciate George’’s hard work in the acquisition of the Astros and his commitment to the organization. “I’’d also like to personally thank him for the assistance that he has provided to me over the last several years and wish him the best of luck in the future.””

Barron's colleague, Brian T. Smith, reports that the Astros' "Big Three" (Crane, Postolos and GM Jeff Luhnow) were all adamant that they were on the same page with the rebuild as recently as February. Recently, however, there was an increasing divide and certain members of the Astros organization were not happy with Postolos' decisions (Twitter links).

Postolos' departure from the Astros is expected to have little impact on the team's long-term rebuilding plan or the on-field product itself, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. While many have speculated that this may ultimately free up a spot for Nolan Ryan to join the organization, Ryan himself today addressed the situation on the Randy Galloway radio show in Dallas by saying he isn't interested (via Reid Laymance of the Houston Chronicle).