HOUSTON, Texas — The Houston Astros reached into the St. Louis Cardinals front office for their new general manager on Friday, hiring longtime assistant GM Randy Flores to run baseball operations.
At 51, Flores becomes only the 15th person to hold the Houston GM title since the club began play. He takes over the job held by Dana Brown, whom the club let go on Aug. 24 with his contract due to run out after the season. Three assistant GMs and special adviser Jeff Bagwell, the Hall of Famer, split the work for the rest of the year while owner Jim Crane searched for a replacement.
A former left-handed reliever, Flores spent eight seasons in the majors from 2002 to 2010, mostly out of the bullpen, with stops in Texas, Colorado, Minnesota and St. Louis. He finished his playing days with 11 wins, five losses, four saves and an earned run average of 4.61. He moved into the Cardinals front office as scouting director in 2015 and later served as an assistant GM from 2019 through this season, with a hand in scouting, player acquisition and development.
His first big decision will be in the dugout. Houston said Oct. 14 it would not bring back manager Joe Espada after the club was knocked out early in the American League Wild Card Series, a sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox.
The Astros finished 81-81 and still won the AL West, their fifth division crown in six years. No big league team had ever reached the playoffs in a full season without a winning record.
Crane is set to introduce Flores at a 10 a.m. news conference Monday at Daikin Park, where the new GM is expected to lay out his early plans for the roster and the manager search.
Section: More Houston TX sports news
Filed under: Houston TX Sports News
