The time is Luhnow
(c) St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Late Wednesday night, news broke that the Astros have selected their new General Manager, the first under new owner Jim Crane. He is Jeff Luhnow, 45, the vice president of player procurement with the St. Louis Cardinals, who has been a veep in their front office since 2003. He will be introduced to the Houston media Thursday at Minute Maid Park.
Luhnow's expertise is in drafting and developing the farm system, which is the top priority of the new organization. This hire confirms the Astros' commitment to being the best minor league team in the majors next season.
The first order of business will be Thursday's Rule V draft which will take place in Dallas as part of baseball's winter meetings. Houston has the first pick and is expected to use it to take a pitcher from another club for the $50,000 claiming fee. The Astros have two open spots on their 40-man roster so it is possible Houston may select two players as they did last season.
After that, Luhnow will try to trade the last three big salaries on the roster - first baseman Carlos Lee and pitchers Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers. He'd also like to find a shortstop who can play like Jose Reyes while being paid like Jose Oquendo.
Make no mistake, Luhnow's new job will not resemble his counterpart with the Miami Marlins. He's going to need to field a team on less than half of what Reyes himself will receive over the life of his new contract with Miami.
In fact, the transitioning Astros are expected to be what the Marlins have been the past few years - built on cheap talent performing before a lot of empty chairs. If Luhnow has success, the Astros may play winning baseball in four or five years. Hopefully, he'll be given enough time to see if his work reaches fruition.
- Bob Hulsey
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