Astros' GM search reaches boiling point (with a potential complication)

According to reputable sources, Matt Kleine (assistant general manager with the Brewers) has been the Astros number one choice to take over the position. It was also recently reported that Jim Crane interviewed former Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo this past week. The timing seemed odd until some further reporting came down the pike.

I should say out front that I am not an insider or a newsbreaker. I follow the reporting just like everyone else, and some of the reporting is speculative and some of it is more hard hitting. I am not in the business of telling you who is who. You can decide that for yourselves. However, we have to start with what we actually know and then go from there.

According to Brian McTaggart (a trusted Astros reporter), Kleine signed a four-year contract extension with the Bewers recently, so any deal with Kleine would have to include a buyout. This is where things become speculative. Is Crane willing to pay a buyout or get into a bidding war? That obviously depends on how much we are talking. Teams usually don't publicize what their executives make and that is especially true for assistant general managers.

Jim Crane's Matt Kleine pursuit has a financial wrinkle for Astros

The industry standard is somewhere between $300,000 and $700,000, and it would seem reasonable to think that the coveted Kleine got something towards or above the north end of that. So, my fancy math skills would indicate that a $750,000 salary would cost $3 million to buy out. Of course, that is just ballpark guessing on my part and not meant to be a solid report you can take to the bank.

This is where speculation starts to take hold. Is Rizzo really the second choice, or does he have a good publicist that is pumping up his name? Keep in mind that Anaheim also has an opening in the division, so maybe he is trying to make himself seem like he is in demand. For me, this really isn't a choice. If your choice between Kleine and Rizzo, I would pay $50 million to buy out Kleine. The difference between the two is likely that stark.

I know the future is unwritten, but we have played this game before. When Drayton McLane soured on Gerry Hunsicker, he tabbed a younger executive that had only had experienced in scouting and player development. Tim Purpura was a resounding failure as a general manager. His profile was remarkably similar to Dana Brown, who the Astros just let go.

McLane replaced Purpura with former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ed Wade. Rizzo feels very much like an Ed Wade kind of guy. He has experience and the Nationals had some definite highs (2019, cough), and Wade had similar highs in Philadelphia, yet the bulk of his tenure was a failure. The same is true in Rizzo's case. Hiring Rizzo would be like hiring Wade. Wade was the last general manager of the McLane ownership, and you could argue that he hastened the beginning of the darkest period in Astros history.

Now, obviously my advice to buy out Kleine is predicated on a couple of suppositions that may or may not be true. Kleine may or may not be their top choice. Rizzo may or may not be their second choice. Also, my estimates on his contract may or may not be accurate. So, any advice from this commentator is based purely on those suppositions.

It is a possibility that there are other candidates they like almost as much as Kleine and who also have a similar profile of bringing 21st century analytical tools to the position. If that is the case, then bypassing the buyout process makes some sense. However, if the cost is around $3 million and the decision is this stark of a choice, then it really is no choice. MLB is a multi-billion dollar operation. You don't hire a dinosaur to save a measly $3 million. You bite the bullet and hire the best guy. He will make you that money back 100 fold if he is the right guy for the job.

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