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Latest On Astros’ GM Opening

By Connor Byrne | January 29, 2020 at 9:19pm CDT

The Astros have spent a large portion of January reeling from the fallout of their 2017 sign-stealing scandal – one that cost them championship-winning GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch. They’ve already replaced Hinch, having hired decorated veteran skipper Dusty Baker on Wednesday, but there’s no successor to Luhnow yet. However, the Astros continue to tack on candidates in their quest to replace him.

Houston has interviewed Royals director of pro scouting/special assistant Gene Watson and Rays vice president of baseball operations James Click for its GM role, per reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN.com and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Watson and Click join MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations, Peter Woodfork, and former Giants GM Bobby Evans as known candidates for the Astros’ vacancy.

It’s notable that Evans worked with Baker when the two were in San Francisco, but there’s no indication he or anyone else is the favorite at this point. It seems the Astros will continue to take their time in finding a new GM, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle explains. For now, owner Jim Crane and a four-executive team consisting of assistant GM Pete Putila, special assistant Kevin Goldstein, senior director of baseball strategy Bill Firkus and senior director of player evaluation Ehsan Bokhari are at the helm. That quartet played a part in Crane’s decision to hire Baker, per Rome, though it’s not clear whether anyone from it will emerge as a GM candidate for the club. It may not look good if the Astros do hire an in-house GM, considering that individual would have connections to the Luhnow-Hinch regime.

As for the newest outside possibilities, Watson – a Texas native – is a two-time World Series champion (2003 Marlins, 2015 Royals) with a long scouting history who has worked in Kansas City in various capacities since 2006. The Yale-educated Click caught on with the Rays the same year Watson joined the Royals. Click has since worked his way toward the top of a Rays front office that already lost another noteworthy exec earlier this offseason in Chaim Bloom, who became Boston’s chief baseball officer.

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Gene Watson Houston Astros James Click Kansas City Royals Tampa Bay Rays

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Comments

  1. i hate my father

    1 year ago

    Hire Bobby Evans, Cubs need to unload payroll and Heyward is a veteran with a underperforming contract that he desires.

    1 Like
    Reply
    • coupofthecentury

      1 year ago

      Heyward’s father doesn’t even want him either. So why would another team want him

      1 Like
      Reply
      • troll_smasher

        1 year ago

        Projection much?

        1 Like
        Reply
    • jorge78

      1 year ago

      Astros owner doesn’t want to take on more payroll…..

      Like
      Reply
  2. puhl

    1 year ago

    Click is a very interesting candidate. Rays are a solid organization that knows how to build from within. Right now, he’s my choice.

    Like
    Reply
  3. madmanTX

    1 year ago

    Shawn Chacón for GM

    1 Like
    Reply
    • danielking

      1 year ago

      Not sure that swing landed

      Like
      Reply
  4. Norm Chouinard

    1 year ago

    Odd that they hired the manager before the GM. If Dusty is in on the decision, I can’t see them going for Click or other quants with zero on field experience.

    Like
    Reply
  5. charles stevens

    1 year ago

    My sources tell me the finalists are Jim Bowden and Oscar the Grouch.

    1 Like
    Reply
  6. jimthegoat

    1 year ago

    Interesting that they would hire the manager first. Don’t most teams prefer to hire a GM then allow them to bring in their own guy?

    Like
    Reply
    • AssumeFactsNotInEvidence

      1 year ago

      Maybe just maybe—Dusty is a one year placeholder to steer them through the PR storm with his witty remarks and skullbleeping of the rotation!

      1 Like
      Reply
      • jbigz12

        1 year ago

        Spring training starts in 3 weeks. Kinda important to have a manager. Dusty is only operating on a 2 year deal as it is. Barring a WS win I would not be surprised to see someone else in the dugout next season.

        Like
        Reply
  7. Dodgethis

    1 year ago

    Manager hire was first due to spring training starting soon. Need to get a guy in asap. A GM is a less pressing need. Also, not a typical hiring process. They are bringing guys in to right the ship and end the nonsense. The roster is already one of the best in baseball, don’t really need a GM right now.

    2 Like
    Reply
  8. fartymorono

    1 year ago

    Maybe DiPoto can trade himself there.

    2 Like
    Reply
  9. crazylarry

    1 year ago

    They need to hire Evans. Overnight they become an overaged , huge contract, no farm system team. Great for the rest of the AL West except Anaheim. They already have one of the two worst GM’s in the game.

    Like
    Reply
  10. nentwigs

    1 year ago

    At the top of the consideration list: Dewey, Cheatum and Howe !!

    1 Like
    Reply
  11. BKS1110

    1 year ago

    Click and Woodfork are both interesting candidates. No Kim Ng though?

    Like
    Reply
  12. jorge78

    1 year ago

    So no more heads rolling in that “out of control ops dept.?”

    Like
    Reply
  13. Allen Adams

    1 year ago

    The GM position is one of great PR presence. He represents the team, ownership, and the farm system…
    He has to be a great negotiator with agents and players and League GM’s. With the roster mostly set, arbitration is the first major hurdle, if not handled by Crane and his team… As the season begins… focus will shift to promotions/devotions and IL moves…
    So except for media presence…
    The GM duties for the start of the season are mostly in place and should be fine until the trade deadline. The focus should be on the PR presence to get the Organization in the best position to dispell the scandal as quickly as possible and fully cooperate with MLB compliance.The rest of the Organization can handle the day to day operations. While the GM player and payroll strategy needs to be aligned with Jim Cranes vision for the team. Extensions for next year’s free agents to manage payroll in the closing window of win now should be on the agenda. Expensive signing of superstars like Springer may make them expendable… Except for McHugh… all ex Astro free agents have been paid when they hit free agency.

    Like
    Reply
  14. jimthegoat

    1 year ago

    My new conspiracy theory is that having to hire Dusty as their manager is part of the punishment the commish handed down to the Astros.

    Like
    Reply

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