The Houston Astros are in the process of looking for a new manager, with Dusty Baker announcing his retirement from the Astros this week. And a report from MLB.com's Brian McTaggart has many fans and media concerned about the direction of the franchise.

McTaggart is reporting that the search for the new manager will be led by owner Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell. With GM Dana Brown having a voice in the process.

This news is concerning because former Astros GM James Click lost a power struggle with Dusty Baker, which led to Click being arguably pushed out of the organization.

And Click did some terrific things for the Astros during his time in Houston. His presence was definitely missed last offseason when Crane and Bagwell made three free agent signings (Jose Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Michael Brantley) that backfired. The New York Post reported that Crane himself negotiated the Montero contract, which was the most scrutinized.

What's most alarming is the advanced analytics that helped build the dynasty, may longer be the direction the team is heading. It was reported that Crane may listen to Bagwell more than anyone else. A blend of old school baseball scouting and analytics could be ideal, but it seems the Astros are moving toward an old school approach.

One would hope Crane and Bagwell would learn from their mistakes from last offseason, but if they hire a manager like Brad Ausmus because of Bagwell's recommendation, we could see the team fall further behind the other number savvy clubs in MLB.

Just think about the skill set James Click brought to the organization. He started with the Rays in 2006 “building out their proprietary database, using his coding skills to pull in as much information as possible.”

Not exactly the skills you associate with Bagwell, Crane, and Brown. Or Ausmus for that matter.

And as we look back, allowing Click and pitching coach Brent Strom to leave look like huge mistakes. Strom just led his Arizona pitching staff to the World Series by silencing the Phillies explosive offense. While the Astros pitching regressed this year. One could argue Strom wasn't here in 2022 when the pitching was elite, but he worked with those guys in 2021 and perhaps after two years without Strom, they started to fall off.

So who should the next manager be? If the Astros promote bench coach Joe Espada to manager, will all the Crane and Bagwell criticism go away? Or if they hire a coach like Walt Weiss away from the Braves, will that ease the minds of Astros fans? That would indicate Crane and Bagwell are listening to recommendations from GM Dana Brown, who came from Atlanta.

One thing is for sure, if Ausmus is hired as manager, there will be a backlash. And don't forget, Ausmus was a finalist to be GM, with the team opting for Dana Brown instead.

There's so much more to cover here, be sure to watch the video above for the full conversation.

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