Instant reactions to Astros hiring Randy Flores as general manager (as potential second choice)

Until about an hour ago, we were worried about the Houston Astros hiring Mike Rizzo, formerly of the Washington Nationals, as GM. Rizzo was interviewed last week for the position and represented the sum of all Astros fans' fears. Rizzo could affectionately be called a dinosaur in the business, and despite the Nationals' 2019 World Series run, was generally regarded as a failure in Washington.

So, the hiring of Randy Flores could be viewed through any number of prisms, and the Rizzo prism is the most positive end of that. We know that Flores comes in with a player development background because that was his job in St. Louis. We know that the Cardinals have consistently been competitive with a middle class payroll, and one that was actually one of the lowest in baseball last season. Obviously, you can't do that without having some good young players.

Will he be substantially different from Dana Brown? Brown came in with essentially the same profile. Obviously, different men bring different skills and different strengths and weaknesses to the position. I can't completely trash a move before the man has done a single thing as an Astro. However, simply moving on ignores the elephant in the room.

Astros hiring Randy Flores ignores the elephant in the room

Numerous sources reported that Matt Kleine of the Milwaukee Brewers was the Astros' preferred choice. From there, the reporting moves from solid to closer to speculation. Brian McTaggart reported that Kleine had signed a four-year contract with the Brewers. Getting him would have required a buyout. How much would the buyout have been? We can only guess at this point.

From there, there is even more conjecture about potential negotiations between Kleine and the Astros. Some have reported that they were haggling over a title of president of baseball operations. Others reported that financial terms were the problem. One would seem to point to autonomy as being the sticking point. The other would point to money as being the sticking point. There is a possibility that neither of those narratives are true.

What is also not known is whether Flores was 1B to Kleine's 1A, or whether he was a clear second choice. Sometimes it is a coin flip, and the buyout serves as the deciding factor. Sometimes you really want the guy and simply don't want to do what it takes to get him. Obviously, the first narrative is probably the one the Astros will try to sell moving forward, and it might have the benefit of actually being true.

What I know is what is perceived from the fanbase. This looks like Jim Crane settling for his second choice because he doesn't want to go the extra mile to get his first choice. This could turn into a C.J. Stroud vs. Bryce Young-type thing where getting the second choice works out for you. Flores could easily be the second coming of Jeff Luhnow, because they have very similar backgrounds. As Astros fans, we have to hope that is the case. However, nothing about this feels good today, other than that they didn't go with Rizzo. It feels like a would-be championship organization is settling for second best. That is never a good look.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow