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How the Houston Astros GM search took an unexpected turn
Jan 25, 2023, 10:40 am
Will Brad Ausmus be the Astros next GM? Photo via: Wiki Commons.
Astros owner Jim Crane is a man who believes in doing things his way. There's a reason he became a billionaire businessman who owns the team. When he and former general manager James Click couldn't come to terms on a new deal and parted ways after winning a World Series last year, people were a bit surprised. You know who wasn't? Those that know Crane and how he likes to operate.
Click was more of an analytics guy who didn't like to take big risks and was very conservative in his team building approach. Crane seems more like a risk taker who doesn't mind taking big swings in improving the team. He's proven that time and again when it comes to paying guys and approving of certain trades (Gerrit Cole, Zach Greinke, and Justin Verlander). So when those philosophies came to a crossroads, it was obvious, to some, that Click was going to move on and Crane would look for a new GM.
Wait...what?!? THAT AJ Hinch?!? Yes! You heard the video correctly! Crane reportedly reached out to AJ Hinch about becoming the team's new GM. I always thought a reunion of Crane and Hinch was possible because of the way Hinch seemed genuinely sorry about the scandal that led to him and former GM Jeff Luhnow being fired. Crane liked Hinch because they share a similar approach to the game. While Hinch is a traditional “baseball guy,” he also uses some aspects of analytics. Crane likes this blended approach. Hinch is still the manager of the Tigers, so I highly doubt this ever comes to fruition.
Now it's getting REAL good! Brad Ausmus is the beloved former catcher of the Astros. He was the soft hitting, defensive guy behind the plate that the ladies seemed to fawn over. He wasn't a good manager, the Tigers fired him after posting a .486 winning percentage over three seasons. He's a former player and that is something I believe Crane holds in high regard. People with previous, and recent, experience are atop his lists with every hire he's made so far. Ausmus would be interesting in the fact that he doesn't have GM experience. Same with Hinch.
Dana Brown is the Braves VP of scouting. Looking up and down that roster and what that team has been able to accomplish, it's no wonder he's on the list. Former Giants GM Bobby Evans was another guy listed as a finalist. If it comes down to these guys, I prefer Evans over the others. He's someone that's had experience helping build one of the playoff contenders over the last few seasons. Someone like him is needed to keep this thing going. Jeff Bagwell and Reggie Jackson have the former player/baseball guy advisory roles locked up. Let someone else, preferably with personnel experience, be hired as GM. This will give Crane a blend of old school and new school in his braintrust. The next hire will be manager whenever Dusty Baker decides he's done. Get this hire right, and it'll make the managerial hire easier. I have no doubt Crane will get his guy, it's just a matter of when.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.