The Astros have received permission to interview Tampa Bay Rays general manager

TB fans in comments online are already talking about seeking compensation from the 'stros if he leaves.

My understanding is that Friedman doesn't even have a contract with TB.

 

You know the Angels have been one of the highest spending teams in baseball since they won the WS. They had the 4th highest last season.

Seattle also maintains high payrolls, despite sucking.

The Rangers are interesting. They have had low payrolls since moving ARod, until last season. It will be interesting to see how they spend moving forward.

The demands for lower payroll, and the highly leveraged purchase concern me in how much payroll Crane will maintain in the future.

 

Astros receive permission to interview the Rangers Thad Levine. (Sidenote: Rangers may add Tim Purpura)

 

Was going to post this myself. They had a $139 Million payroll last year. We've never come anywhere close to that.

 

I work with an ex-player (who will go nameless) who has an interesting take on Friedman that we went back and forth on.

He wonders how much Friedman has done and how much of it has been Hunsicker. He predicates this based on conversations he's had with Friedman in the past that in his words, lacked a full understanding of the game.

I lean to the fact that he's a damn good gm and would welcome him with open arms, but I've gotta say I'm curious as to why the Astros aren't interviewing Hunsicker as well. Would be a popular hire and the man knows his baseball.

 

Hunsicker is a link to the old regime, and the Astros started their downhill slide on the farm under his watch.

I also think they are looking for a young GM.

 

he's also a link to tampa bay and their success. not to mention he was the primary architect of the astros success. yes he sold assets, but only when we were primed to make a move.

And he wasn't the one that cut funding to the minor's and dominican.

I see him more as a connection to success.

 

It was Venezuela, not the Dominican, and the closed it, to invest in a new facility in the Dominican.

What about the drafts under Hunsicker? 1999-2003 produced nobody. When he traded veterans for prospects, it netted little.

You remember those top Venezulan prospects that went on to good careers? All signed before Gerry Hunsicker.

 

Friedman still turned them down. Makes me wonder what the Astros can offer to sway him.

 

Being the hometown team is something only can offer, is that enough for him to leave what he has in Tampa? Probably not, but it's certainly worth a shot and we have a better chance than the others.

 

Friedman spent many a day in the bleachers at the Astrodome and is an Astros' fan...still may not be enough but anyone who thinks it won't be hard to say NO to Crane/Postolos just doesn't get it.

 

they'll offer him more money than he's making now....and a chance to do it all with the hometown team. if he doesn't leave for this job, he won't leave TB at all until their owner moves on.

 

Well, so much for the Rangers...

 

good points. maybe my memory of him pressing the right buttons with the small trades has overshadowed his overall impact.

 

Don't take this as a slight to the ex-player you talked to, but players are not exactly the best people to get opinions on how to run a team. What a player needs to understand about baseball is different from what a GM needs to understand about baseball.

I'm not saying he's wrong. He could be correct in his assessment. I just don't feel being an ex-player make him a better judge of the quality of a GM.

 

His early drafts were great, especially his first which netted Wade Miller and Roy Oswalt. 1996-1998 and 2004 were successful drafts.

He made solid moves when trading for veterans. Although it ultimately didn't work out, the RJ trade was great at the time. He managed to move Dotel and Buck for Carlos Beltran, which worked out nearly perfect. He traded scrubs for Moises Alou and Carl Everett.

I can't think of any bad signings he ever had. In fact Bill Spiers was one of his first and it was great.

I didn't mean for it to sound as if he was bad as a GM, just that the farm started suffering under his tenure. He inherited a ton of young Venezuelan talent, which is mostly a product of us being the only ones there at the time.

It is hard for any of us to say who's fault is who's. There are so many cogs that go into player development. I just know the results were lacking for one reason or another.

 

he was consulted w/the ed wade hiring and railed heavily against it.. that alone props up his opinion in my book

but, as i said, i argued the point w/him. i think friedman is very good and surrounds himself w/good people (i.e. good scouts)

 

If he was made their GM then yes.

 

I was mainly referring to him saying that Friedman not understanding enough about baseball part. Which I feel is odd because players generally don't see the big picture very well.

I just prefer he has something more tangible against Friedman. That's all.

 

So much for my excitement- just got this from Rotoworld.

The Rangers announced Wednesday that assistant general manager Thad Levine does not plan to seek a job outside the organization, namely the Astros' GM gig.
The Astros were granted permission Tuesday to speak with Levine, but no interview will take place. Houston is also expected to be rebuffed by Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman, meaning the team will almost certainly be without a general manager heading into next week's Winter Meetings in Dallas. Former 'Stros GM Ed Wade was shown the door last week.
Source: Jeff Wilson on Twitter Nov 30 - 6:31 PM