The Astros surprised quite a few people when they announced the hiring of Randy Flores, the now former assistant general manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, on Friday. It wasn’t necessarily the fact that they hired a new GM. They had been without one for two months after Dana Brown was fired.
What got everyone’s attention was the choice of GM. For nearly a week, it was widely reported that the Astros had narrowed their choice to Matt Klein from the World Champion Brewers. It was exactly the sort of hire that fit the idea of starting over with a franchise that has been slowly creeping towards mediocrity for almost five years.
While the seemingly last minute pivot to Flores raised some eyebrows, he is now the guy and has a LOT on his plate this offseason.
What happened with Klein?
Despite reports from across baseball that the long time Brewers assistant was in line for the gig, Flores wound up with the job, but why? While nothing official has come out as of writing this, the fact that the team had to wait for the end of the World Series for Klein and his requirement to be named President of Baseball Operations for any job were certainly factors. It was strange that it was so widely reported one day and almost overnight, Klein was out and Flores was in. It will be interesting to hear Crane discuss that at the press conference because he will definitely be asked.
Another St. Louis guy?
If it worked once? Jeff Lunhow famously came to the Astros from the Cardinals organization and Flores actually replaced the guy who was prosecuted for hacking the Astros. While Flores, much like his predecessor Brown, is known for his skill in the draft, unlike the former GM, Flores has been directly involved in trades and big league decisions. Which is good because he will have a LOT of them to make and very quickly.
How much control will Flores be given?
This is really the big question. Really since Lunhow’s departure, it has been apparent that Crane is in charge of major decisions. James Click allegedly clashed with his owner of a number of decisions and Brown was never really given the reins to do what he wanted. Now Crane has former Astro Jeff Bagwell as a special assistant who has an important voice in what happens with the Astros. That doesn’t feel like the kind of situation that leaves a lot of room for freedom to execute a new GM’s vision. We’ll see.
What has to get done this offseason?
In short, a lot. He has less than a month to hire a new manager before the league locks out the players, which is likely to happen December 1 when the collective bargaining agreement expires. Prior to the last work stoppage, there were a bevy of moves made by teams right before league business shut down, so we have to assume the Astros will try to be busy before then. There are looming contract negotiations with Jeremy Peña and potential trades they could look to make involving Peña, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker and others. We can’t recall when the phrase “hit the ground running” has so aptly applied to a GM hire. Flores will need to get busy.
