Astros hire Randy Flores as new GM, replacing Dana Brown

The Houston Astros have found a new general manager: The team announced Friday it is hiring Randy Flores to fill the position. Flores, 51, will become the 15th GM in the franchise's history after a decade with the St. Louis Cardinals' front office.

A former pitcher and 2006 World Series champion with the Cardinals, Flores became St. Louis' director of scouting in 2015 to launch his front-office career. He was promoted to assistant general manager in 2018.

"Randy has had a huge impact on the Cardinals over the last 10 seasons," Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane wrote in a statement. "Throughout the entire interview process we've been thoroughly impressed with Randy and his background in scouting and player acquisition. We're happy to welcome Randy and his family to the Astros and we can't wait to get to work on bringing another championship to Houston."

Flores replaces Dana Brown, who was fired in August after Houston fell below .500. Brown's ouster appeared to mark the end of an era for the Astros, who went from two World Series titles five years apart (in 2017 and 2022) to two short postseasons under Brown.

Before landing on Flores, Astros had reportedly focused on Milwaukee Brewers executive Matt Kleine for the role, and had even offered him the job shortly before the Brewers won the World Series this week, per The Athletic . Kleine reportedly asked for either a higher salary or a president of baseball operations title (something Crane has not given to previous GMs), leading the Astros to pivot to Flores.

The Astros went on to win the woeful AL West and advance to the postseason despite finishing 81-81. They were swept by the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card round.