Crane: Changes start at the top
(c) Associated Press
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Sources at the Houston Chronicle and Astros.com confirm that the front office purge has begun. President of Baseball Operations Tal Smith and General Manager Ed Wade have both been relieved of their duties, effective immediately. Assistant GM David Gottfried will be the interim replacement for Wade but, it is learned, he will not be considered for the permanent opening.
The fate of Manager Brad Mills has yet to be decided. He is under contract through 2012 with an option for 2013 and, despite a record of 132-192 as the Houston skipper, many refuse to blame him for the 20-game slide this past season that resulted in the franchise's first 100-loss campaign.
Wade's tenure - from 2007 to 2011 - will be reviewed with controversy, just as his stay in Philadelphia was before returning to the Astros. He was not the village idiot that so many internet wags sought to characterize him but his track record of personnel moves, particularly free agent acquisitions, sour any notion that he deserved to be retained.
It was not his fault that the aging parent club needed a major overhaul, nor that the farm system was barren of talent nor that ownership continually demanded to slash payroll. It was also not his fault that payroll albatross Carlos Lee further eliminated room to make serious upgrades while being virtually untradeable.
Wade can take some of the blame for bringing free agent flops like Kaz Matsui, Brandon Lyon and Bill Hall to Houston, but he should also be credited with bringing in players like Michael Bourn, Jeff Keppinger and Wilton Lopez while restocking the farm. It's unclear what fate awaits Scouting Director Bobby Heck, whom Wade brought aboard soon after his arrival.
Smith's history with the Astros goes all the way back to before they were called the Astros. He rose through the ranks during the 1960s and 70s to replaces H.B. "Spec" Richardson as General Manager in 1975. He was the architect of the Astros' first division champion in 1980. He was the Sporting News Executive of the Year for his work but was fired anyway as new owner John McMullen brought in his own people to run the ballclub.
Smith was replaced by Al Rosen whom McMullen knew from their time with the New York Yankees but Rosen was unable to repeat Smith's success. Smith started his own consulting business, Tal Smith Enterprises, and soon developed a reputation as the Michael Jordan of arbitration - saving baseball owners millions in arbitration hearings against player agents. Smith rejoined the Astros in an executive capacity under Drayton McLane.
A search for an new GM begins immediately although I suspect the names bandied about in the press will be harder to pry loose than they'd have you believe. The recent hiring of former Boston GM Theo Epstein by the Chicago Cubs and the wrangling over compensation could be repeated if new president George Postolos tries to sign away someone from the Tampa Bay Rays or Texas Rangers. And what would the Astros have to give up if compensation were demanded?
The baseball winter meetings will begin in Dallas on December 5th where the Astros are expected to be active during the Rule V draft and shop pitcher Wandy Rodriguez in their quest to further shrink the payroll. Whether Gottfried will be given permission to make moves remains to be seen.
- Bob Hulsey
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