The Houston Astros are considering assistant general managers Gavin Dickey and Charles Cook as they search for a replacement for Dana Brown, who left the organization in late August. The team has kept details of the process quiet, but the search appears to be gaining momentum.
According to reporter Brian McTaggart, Dickey and Cook are among the candidates who have interviewed for the vacant position. Cook has also emerged as a potential internal option in the search.
Owner Jim Crane said in August that the Astros would wait until after the season to begin their search in earnest. He also made clear that Houston would consider candidates without previous experience running a baseball operations department.
“Experience is valuable but not necessary,” Crane said. “We’ve had a pretty good run with the guys we’ve had one way or the other. All of that is measured. Experience in business, experience in baseball, always helps.”
The Astros have now spent roughly two months looking for their next general manager. According to multiple team and league sources, there is some internal optimism that Houston could make a hire before the end of the World Series. At least one potential candidate has also visited Houston during the process.
Since Brown's departure, a small group of executives has handled the team's baseball operations under Crane's oversight. That group includes assistant general managers Cook, Dickey and Connor Huff, along with senior advisor Jeff Bagwell.
Houston has not announced a deadline for completing the search. The organization must also find a new manager after deciding not to bring back Joe Espada, who spent three seasons in the role. The Astros announced that decision on October 14, leaving both positions vacant.
Hiring a general manager first could allow the new executive to lead or participate in the search for Espada's replacement. However, the Astros have not confirmed whether they intend to follow that order.
The search comes after a season that ended below the organization's expectations. Houston reached the playoffs for the 11th time in 13 seasons but continued a troubling regular-season trend, recording fewer wins for the fourth consecutive year. The Astros then suffered a sweep against Chicago in the wild-card round, extending their wait for a postseason victory to another season.
Those results leave the next general manager with important decisions to make as Houston looks to strengthen the team and return to deeper playoff runs.
Crane is willing to consider candidates without previous experience as a baseball operations chief, potentially widening the search beyond established executives. Dickey and Cook represent two internal options who already understand the organization, although the Astros have not disclosed the full list of candidates or when they expect to make their decision.
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