Earlier today, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Astros have at least three finalists for their GM vacancy: Braves vice president of scouting Dana Brown, Guardians assistant GM James Harris and former Giants GM Bobby Evans. That’s not an exhaustive list, however, and Jose de Jesus Ortiz of Our Esquina tweets that former Astros catcher, Tigers/Angels manager and (most recently) A’s bench Brad Ausmus is also among the finalists. Per Ortiz, Brown and Ausmus are the two favorites for the job.
Jumping straight into the GM’s chair would be a first for Ausmus, though it wouldn’t be his first stint in a big league front office. Ausmus was a special assistant in the Padres’ front office shortly after retiring as a player, and he held a similar role with the 2018 Angels under then-general manager Billy Eppler.
Since retiring, however, the bulk of Ausmus’ experience in the game has come in a big league dugout. That includes a four-year stint as the Tigers’ manager from 2014-17 and a 2019 run as the Angels’ skipper. He spent the 2022 campaign as the bench coach under newly hired A’s skipper Mark Kotsay, but Ausmus turned down an offer from the team to return for a second season in that position. Ausmus’ decision to decline that offer came just a week before ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Ausmus traveled to Houston to meet with former teammate Jeff Bagwell, who’s been a key advisor to owner Jim Crane and has held some sway in the team’s baseball operations decisions.
At the same time, there are renewed connections with now-former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, who served as an assistant GM in Houston before being hired as the GM in Milwaukee more than a half decade ago. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that Crane has maintained some interest in bringing Stearns back to Houston.
As has been the case each time Stearns has been rumored as a potential fit for another front office vacancy — the Mets courted him in two separate offseasons, for instance — there are notable caveats to consider. While Stearns stepped down as president in Milwaukee, he remains under contract with the Brewers through the end of the 2023 season. He’s no longer running baseball operations but remains an advisor to newly minted GM Matt Arnold and owner Mark Attanasio.
Furthermore, Stearns appeared at the Brewers’ press conference to announce the reshuffling of the baseball operations hierarchy and plainly declared that he was “not going anywhere” and planned to remain in Milwaukee. That was several months ago, of course, and Stearns didn’t place a definitive timeline on a return to baseball operations — or even whether he planned to pursue such opportunities at all. However, because he’s under contract, the Brewers would need to grant the Astros permission to interview him, and Milwaukee may even require player compensation if Stearns were to depart prior to the conclusion of his contract.
The Astros have operated without a GM this offseason after parting ways with World Series-winning GM James Click following the season. Click rejected what many viewed as a token one-year extension offer that came on the heels of myriad reports about mounting friction between the GM and Crane.
Oh please NO!!!!! Mr. Crane, please do not hire him as the GM!! Hire almost anyone else.
Whoever gets this job is just going to be along for the ride. Like being the coach of the Patriots when Tom Brady is the QB.
Bill Belichick is more valuable to the Patriots than Brady was. Not knocking Brady but if they had Peyton Manning instead they would have won all of those championships with 1 possibly 2 more. I doubt Peyton would have allowed them to lose a Super Bowl let alone 2 to Eli. Would the Patriots have won any Super Bowls at all in the Brady era without Belichick? Maybe, but the NFL has had many great QBs that never won a Super Bowl. Jim Kelly, Philip Rivers, Dan Marino, and Fran Tarkenton all could have won championships with those Patriot teams. Jim Harbaugh might have even been enough to win one or two.
It was clearly the combo of the two, plus an especially weak division & the various cheating. Without TB, BB has won exactly 0 titles in his career.
Ausmus and Bagwell are good friends. I’m sure some nepotism is involved here. Hopefully Brown is who they’re leaning twds though.
mro940;
Hummmmm…
I didn’t know they were related.
Wow. Way to make fun of someone without knowing the definition…well done genius. I don’t make fun of peoples posts but to say that about someone when you are wrong.
…You don’t have to be related for nepotism.
the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.
“he promised an end to corruption and nepotism”
nep·o·tism
/ˈnepəˌtiz(ə)m/
noun
the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs
It’s ok I’m going to apply for the job 😉
I know he was a bad manager but maybe he would be a better GM?
Because Ausmus’ stint as a first-time manager went so well…what could possibly go wrong if his first executive job is GM? One benefit is you won’t have to see him perched on the top step of the dugout spitting seeds while his team gets pummeled!
Go look at Joe Torre’s first time managing a major league club. He was a bad manager for the Mets.
Different guy. Ausmus made bad decisions and his team wouldn’t play for him.
Bd decisions is saying it lightly. He made mind boggling managerial decisions. With a game that’s almost 200 yrs old many decisions are just common sense moves. Ausmus however constantly went against the grain on those type of decisions, over thinking things and trying to reinvent the wheel.
Can you give an example? I remember him losing the clubhouse, but I don’t really remember any bonehead in-game moves. Bullpen moves can always be second guessed.
Common sense went out the window with the introduction of analytics into baseball. Like trying to complicate the simple.
Regarding the years the Yankees won with Torre. David Wells said his Grand Mother could managed those teams to WC’S.
???
Hahaha what a joke. The guy can’t manage you think he will be a good GM
Actually they are two rather different skill-sets, but I always love the hot takes from fans on who is a good manager and who is not. Phillies fans were all convinced that Terry Francona was one of the bigger idiots in the game.
Besides – former catchers…always the smartest and best-looking players in the game of baseball. Wait, have I said that before?
best… looking? Yeah, no.
29 other team: “please!”
This guy must come off amazing in the interview process because his track record leaves a lot to be desired
Interesting. P.R. Move or legit? Maybe a puppet?
Likely a puppet. Crane wants control over most MLB roster decisions.
I think he takes input and then tells them what do
Definitely a puppet but who cares stros suck
Rangers are good?
If the Stros suck. The Rangers swallow.
Who cares? You apparently do.
Jim Crane watched his team rise to prominence with an analytic heavy approach and is now deciding to go the other way by bringing in circus clowns. That’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for him
Ronk325;
So all analytics are the same?
Have much programming, data analysis, and TQM business processes in your background?
When interpreting data relevant to baseball, yes it’s all very similar. Crane letting Click and his team go and bringing in the likes of Ausmus is incredibly stupid. Not sure why you’re being so argumentative here, or any time on this site for that matter. Are the Astros one of the ten teams you root for?
That’s overly harsh. I agree Ausmus has no credentials to show he’d be a competent GM, but he’s smart and not an old school guy by any means. I’d say the opposite is true. Crane trusts his analytics group so much he wants someone who won’t want rock the boat instead of someone with solid GM experience. Bland Brad fits that bill.
He inherited Tigers teams that were built like All Star teams by Mike Illitch & Dombrowski and they underperformed. In hindsight I believe Dombrowski hired him because he’d do what Dave told him to do. He’s the least dynamic person I’ve seen manage a team.
Ausmus didn’t really have much to work with in Detroit besides his starting staff. His bullpen was trash, defense was terrible, and the lineup had no speed. He wrote the lineup card out and over managed a little, but it wasn’t his fault.
What makes people like Clevinger react the way they do?
Childhood trama, abuse, neglect, TBI, drug/alcohol use, biological/genetic factors. Could be a lot of different things.
Hurt people hurt people?
I would normally make fun of this news but the GM of my favorite team gave guys like Ellsbury and Hicks lucrative contracts and he traded for bums like Donaldson, IKF and Montas. He also decided to take on the albatross contract of an injury prone slugger named Giancarlo who is now a perpetual DH.
The Astros seem to know what they’re doing based on their recent WS title so I won’t pass judgment.
All the engineers of that success are gone. We’ll see if a new crew can match that success.
NGL I really was pulling for the 2005 Astros to beat Chicago. Bagwell and Biggio really deserved that ring but Brad Lidge apparently had other plans lol.
They will check the diversity box
Plz don’t take Dana Brown
Does he have a pulse yet? It didn’t seem his heart was in it when he managed the Angels..
He did have 2 winning seasons out of 4 managing in Detroit. Tigers players must have still been very good then…they made the playoffs his 1st year (2014) but lost all 3 games and out..
Yeah, now I remember. He kept calling Chamberlain in from the bullpen, and he kept getting hammered. The last game, the Baltimore crowd gave Ausmus a standing ovation for signaling to the pen to bring Chamberlain in. Never saw that before or since.
Dartmouth graduate. Keeps getting him front office/managing opportunities.
so, he got naked and walked with naked people.
Revenge against the nerds, I’m cool with it.
Houston should go old school and embrace analytics less.
Too many front offices value players the same nowadays. This should help facilitate more trades.
Ausmus couldn’t manage so let’s make him a GM. Sounds like government.
Would you prefer they make him a manager again?
Nope.
Brad Ausmus for GM… LOL
Can’t be any worse than Dave Stewart lolz
As a Tigers fan, I might be prone to judging Ausmus’ capability as a GM rather unfairly. However, please let me add that I was quite surprised to find that he might be considered to become the GM of the Astros… Am I mistaken or did neither of his previous employers retain his services for long?
Gruß,
BSHH
Well, to be fair, Arte kicked him to the curb because Maddon was suddenly available and Arte thought Maddon would be a better manager. I’m pretty sure neither of them could manage that team to a winning record the past few years.
I remember his time in Detroit well. I recall he had terrible bullpens that blew a lot of games for him. I also recall hearing he had a personality that wasn’t really a good fit for a manager of a major league team.
I’ll be fair and remind everyone Ausmus is a very smart guy. While his personality might not have been suitable for the field, it just might be a fit for upstairs.
I was even thinking of Ausmus for the GM position of the Tigers. I still would like him in that position myself.
Okay Tigers Fans, don’t attack me, it is just my personal opinion.
Some people said similar things about Dusty Baker but he has a WS ring and hopes for another in 2023.
Maybe Crane is mixing up GM and backup catcher. If so Ausmus has it handled…if there is a time machine in Houston. I didn’t mind him as a player in Detroit but not as manager. Not sure what the logic behind that is…most of the other names were in the running with Harris for the Detroit GM job and have the background to do the job. Pick soneone else
That would be interesting. When I I think of him as a player, I think of him as an Astro. So he’d be the returning former player, a role that would likely welcome him with open arms and give him a good chance to succeed. That ownership wants to win.
Ausmus makes sense in the front office, but not as a GM.
From what I gather the guys behind the scenes for the Astros that made them a winner are mostly gone?
In professional sports you can fail your way to promotions. It’s amazing to observe.
and in public service. I work with a lot of people that get promoted because they’re awful. Gets them out of the way.
Yea look at the president, can’t speak a full sentence or remember a thing, let’s promote him!
You’re talking about TFG right?
please sign brad! he is a genius.
Impossiblenot to sound stupid: “Fire Click and hire Ausmus…”
The real friction in Houston was with Click and Dusty. Click didn’t want Peña batting #2 and he was also wearing out Dusty about Vasquez and Mancini’s playing time. I think Crane is looking for someone that’ll continue what Astros have been doing and not looking for anyone trying to reimagine the org.
Good post.
Maybe he’s better in the front office than the dugout… Seems like a big leap, though.
Why has Jeff Luhnow not been given the chance to resume his old role? Burned bridges? Bad P.R.? It certainly isn’t because the others are better qualified.
Luhnow has moved on to a different sport. I doubt he wants to come back.
Astros suuuuuck. Cheaters for life
Garbage franchise
deGrom Texas Rangers;
With all the playoff and championship victories your Rangers have you might want to be more understanding about teams that are simply not that good.
Be big. Take the high road. Don’t knock the other guy that tries and tries but just can’t seem to do well for more than a few years here and there.
I see what you did there 😉
deGroom- If only Cruz wasn’t playing RF Sooooooooo Shallow, You guys would have a ring. Doesn’t it gnaw at you Ranger fans. ???? WC missed it by 30 ft.
Someone is hitting the Tito’s hard today
Rangers are irrelevant. Losers for Life. Berkman sure did hammer it home.
Yes, we sweep garbage teams like yours. Are you going to change your moniker to DeGrom Injured List Pretend Cowboy when it happens? I am sure you are a fan of “dem boys” as well. Loser.
Life long Astros Fan- over 50+ years…. I Loved Ausmus for over 20 years, then as Angels manager at MMP- Jake Marisnik slide home Unintentionally hitting Angels catcher- Typical Brad who in his playing days if water jugs, seed & candy carriers could have pressed charges for Violent Outbursts- Would Have!!! Brad’s hostile & disgraceful remarks about Jake- in a breath my Disdain for Brad Ausmus was felt, I had to give it to God However, I would be very upset if Ausmus had Anything to do with the Astros again. Mr. Crane is NOT Jerry Jones, so please stop repeating the leaches of MLB Press/Print-
I was very disappointed in the way James Click was treated,it is true that the Baker/Click dynamic was the pitfall.
Krob;
Dusty has become a lovable MLB figure.
The fact is that that the man has had running battles with his FO’s throughout his career. He usually won the power plays. I knew he would do it with the Nationals when he was hired…and I knew Mike Rizzo would win that one. Lasted just 2 years there. Everyone seemed to be surprised when he was fired – I don’t know why. Just the man’s nature.
Seems a bit disproportionate the amount of jewish guys in FO? I mention this each GM hire. It’s just peculiar
I’ve never thought about this. It’s an intriguing thought though. What would be an acceptable ratio?
It’s crazy the amount that are. There’s not an acceptable or not acceptable ratio but it certainly seems highly over represented. I should convert lol
I want Harris
Outside of being one of the worst managers baseball has seen in the last few decades, what exactly has Brad Ausmus done to be on that list?
He’s pretty.
Please hire Ausmus! We want the Astros to burn from the inside out!
That is a terrible candidate. Astros might as well let Crane keep doing the GM job, he’s more qualified than Ausmus…