Saturday Morning Hot Links

It's FanFest today! Shoutout to everyone who will be at Minute Maid Park today, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. 2020 FanFest Sessions include:

"I'd Like To Comment On That But..." - 10:30am. Mezzanine.
"Hey Look At This Shiny Thing Over Here" - 11:30am. Torchy's Tacos.
"45 Weird Minutes With Orbit" - 12:30pm. Crawford Street.
"Dealing With Other Fans, A How-To" - 1:30pm. KidZone.
"Game 5 Highlights On Loop" - 2:15pm. JumboTron.

*Jeff Passan: Buzzers, Burner Accounts, and Conspiracies - Inside Baseball's Epic Day of Chaos.

*FanGraphs' Kiley McDaniel: What's next for the Astros?

*Current Astros Legend Joe Smith responded to The Athletic's Marc Carig, which said Baseball needs more people like Mike Fiers:
Disagree. Baseball doesn't need whistle blowers 2 years after. You have an issue? Step up address it in house and get it taken care of. (sic)

*Jim Crane told Chandler Rome he wants to have a manager in place by 3 February. The Killer Bs will help out in "any way" they can. Here's McTaggart's summary, in case you're paywalled.

Chandler Rome:
Espada's candidacy could be tainted by his presence on the 2018 Houston coaching staff.

Twenty people have contacted Reid Ryan regarding the managerial opening. Crane is running the show, with an assist from Ryan.

*GM candidates will interview beginning next week.

*Representative Bobby Rush (Democrat - Illinois) requested a Congressional oversight hearing on the Astros' cheating, and MLB's response. And before you lose it, know that Bobby Rush is a 73-year old Congressman from Chicago whose family moved there from Georgia in the Great Migration, joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1966, joined the Army, was a founding member of the Black Panthers, got his degree, Master's, and M.Div, and has been a Congressman since 1993. He is the only politician to defeat Barack Obama in an election. Bobby Rush is Actually For Real.

Also, a Congressional Oversight Hearing would also presumably (if Congress is an actual functioning body anymore) require evidence of other teams doing the same thing, which we all so desperately crave, with MLB's Anti-Trust Exemption possibly hanging in the balance. You want the full story? MLB having to do a full investigation at risk of losing that Exemption just might be the best option. Or you're of the opinion that Congress has More Important Things to worry about at best, and Congress is useless at worst. Let's find out.

Of course, there are about 1,329 issues to which Congress could devote its time that would be far more beneficial to the fabric to the country (and I would say this if the subject of the investigation was someone I spend 0.1% of my time thinking about, like the Padres, for instance) than this, but we all have bloodlust right now so whatever.

*The Athletic's Andy McCulloch wrote about The Week That Shook Baseball. TL;DR: The Astros, and Mike Fiers, blew it all up.

*ESPN: How the internet helped crack the Astros sign-stealing case.

*Justin Klugh: Baseball's integrity isn't emotional, it's structural.

*SI: Can MLB stop sign-stealing?

*Billy Wagner won't get elected to the Hall of Fame this year, but he's gaining momentum.

*Dusty Baker is a candidate for the Mets' now-vacant managerial opening.

*Both MLB and the MLBPA issued a joint-statement (presumably regarding Mike Trout) that said there's no therapeutic exemption for the use of HGH.

*Kyler Murray thinks he just might could be the next Bo Jackson.

*Amtrak asked two people in wheelchairs to pay $25,000 for a $16 fare.

*The Disturbing Case of the Disappearing Sci-Fi Story.

*A Musical Selection:



The Hot Links Playlist on Spotify has 254 songs running now for just over 16 hours.

Astros hire Jeff Luhnow

The Astros have their man: St. Louis Cardinals Vice President of Player Procurement Jeff Luhnow has been named General Manager, and the franchise will be shaped in his own image.

George Postolos:
"Jeff has a demonstrated the ability to inspire and motivate staff in the front office and out in the field. He was born and raised in Mexico and his bicultural background will be an asset in recruiting players from Latin America and developing the Hispanic market for Los Astros."

Luhnow, 45, graduated from the Wharton School of Business at Penn, and had been with the Cardinals since 2003, overseeing their drafts since 2005.

Derrick Goold writes:
A pet project of his has been increasing the Cardinals' ability to evaluate and sign players in the Caribbean, and two of the Cardinals' top prospects — pitcher Carlos Martinez and outfielder Oscar Taveras — have been products from that system.

Here's a 2008 interview between Luhnow and Baseball Prospectus. And here's another interview from 2004.

The Cardinals' minor league affiliates have posted a 2953-2912 (.503) record in Luhnow's tenure as Draft Overseer, including a 920-803 (.534) record in the past two seasons. Just for comparison, the Astros' affiliates have a 2583-3113 (.453) record in the same span, and a 697-956 (.422) record over 2010-11.

Luhnow - who has a difficult name to make a nickname of - is the 4th general manager of the Astros since 2004.

Astros eyeing Dan Jennings

The Astros are looking at Marlins exec Dan Jennings, but Heyman says Florida might not let him go.

Rosenthal and Morosi said last week that the Orioles asked the Marlins for permission to hire him, and Jeffrey Loria - sweetheart that he is - said no.

GM Search Update: What We Know

Here is a recap of what we know so far regarding the GM Search, as of 8:22am Central Time, on December 7.

Interviewed
Royals Assistant GM J.J. Picollo
Dodgers Assistant GM Logan White
St. Louis' VP of Player Procurement Jeff Luhnow
Colorado Assistant GM Bill Geivett

"Candidates"
Cincinnati's Scott Nethery

Thanks, But No Thanks
Andrew Friedman
Texas' Thad Levine
Chicago's Rick Hahn & MLB's Kim Ng

Morning Update

*Royals Assistant GM J.J. Picollo interviewed for the GM position.

*So did Dodgers Assistant GM Logan White. White interviewed in 2007, when the Astros decided to hire Ed Wade.

*The Tigers were interested in trading for Wandy Rodriguez, but aren't happy with the price tag.

They were approached at some point with the idea of trading for Houston's Wandy Rodriguez, according to sources, but while there was some limited interest, the idea died quickly.

*The Marlins, however/of course, are interested in trading for Wandy. They seem to be more interested in Gio Gonzalez, but it's likely that Wandy wouldn't cost as much. But since the Marlins are printing money underneath their new stadium, it may not matter.

Morning Update

Here's what you missed while I was watching Vampire Diaries on Netflix yesterday evening and overnight:

Royals Assistant GM J.J. Picollo interviewed for the GM position last night.

The Astros will pay half of Carlos Lee and Brett Myers' salary in a deal, but want a prospective team to take all of Wandy's salary.

Andrew Friedman's rejection of the Astros "is in no way a reflection on the Houston organization," say the Rays.

Alyson Footer explains, in detail, what the Astros are looking for in a GM.

Joel Sherman can confirm Friedman out

The New York Post's Joel Sherman is confirming that Friedman has turned down the Astros.

So I guess that means Johnny Damon is, in fact, full of crap.

I have to admit, I felt a little flutter in my heart when Friedman hadn't said yea or nay about coming to the Astros. Now it's all black, all fear, all anguish.

Andrew Friedman already ruled out Houston?

The LA Times' Bill Shaikin tweeted at 12:33pm:

Hearing #Rays GM already has decided against taking Astros job.

This is not good news for the Whooping Cranes, who now may find themselves without Friedman, and turned down by Thad Levine, Kim Ng, and Rick Hahn. Maybe it was inevitable, and we shouldn't be surprised, but it's still - for now - disappointing.

Johnny Damon is either completely full of crap, or Andrew Friedman is in play

And honestly, it could go either way. Maybe you saw this, but there was a story in the Boston Globe yesterday with a weird note from Johnny Damon on his future:

“I haven’t even talked to them just because our GM [Andrew Friedman] is a free agent. He’s not going to sign me and then leave. If he goes to Houston, his hometown, he’s going to try and bring me along with him. That’s where my waiting game is.

Again, your options are:

1. Johnny Damon is full of crap.
2. Johnny Damon is telling the truth (and, with a case of El Presidente "securely strapped to a cart," he may very well be) and Andrew Friedman is seriously considering to the point of telling Johnny Damon that he may have a job in Houston.

Short list of GM possibilities

It's time to start building sourced lists of potential GMs. Any speculation is by each individual writer. Here we go:

12/5
Friedman out

12/5
Scott Nethery (CIN)

12/3
Jeff Luhnow (STL) (Interviewed)

11/30:
Levine out
Bill Geivett (COL) (Interviewed)

(Via Evan Grant):
Thad Levine (Texas)
A.J. Preller (Texas)
Both have been integral in the Rangers' rise to two-time defending AL champs. Both endorsed the club tear-down from the top that took place with the trades of Mark Teixeira, Kenny Lofton and Eric Gagne in 2007.

(Via Rosenthal and Morosi):
Gerry Hunsicker (TB) - The club reached the postseason in five of his nine seasons, and sources say he would embrace a return to Houston.
Andrew Friedman (TB) - Friedman's enthusiasm for the Astros' job is less certain.
Thad Levine (TEX)
A.J. Preller (TEX)
Dan Jennings (Florida/Miami) - Was denied permission to interview for the Orioles’ GM vacancy by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.

(Via McTaggart):
All of the above, and then...
Peter Woodfork (MLB) - He's a Theo Epstein disciple, having worked under him with the Boston Red Sox.
J.J. Piccolo (KC) - As the assistant GM of the Royals who oversees both the player development and scouting departments, Picollo has plenty of experience listening to a variety of opinions.
Jeff Kingston (SEA) - Kingston worked with Kevin Towers in San Diego before being hired away by the Mariners.
Billy Eppler (NYY) - Eppler interviewed recently for the Angels' vacant opening and is considered a solid candidate to be a GM in the future.
Logan White (LAD) - White's in charge of amateur and international scouting for GM Ned Colletti. In 2007, he interviewed with the Astros before Wade was hired.
De Jon Watson (LAD) - The head of player development with the Dodgers, Watson interviewed for the Orioles' vacant GM position in October before withdrawing.
Rick Hahn (CWS) - Hahn is a former sports agent who used to work for Jeff Moorad.
Al Avila (DET) - The assistant GM of the Tigers, Avila is more of a veteran scout, in the mold of Colletti, but he has a very good track record.
Allard Baird (BOS) - If the Astros find themselves looking for a veteran GM not named Hunsicker, Baird could be their guy.

Obviously the quotes for each candidate are not the entire quotes, and you'll just need to click the source link for the full version.

One more interview down

The Astros also interviewed St. Louis' VP of Player Procurement Jeff Luhnow for the GM role yesterday. Luhnow has overseen the Cardinals' farm system.

Astros GM search so far reminds me a lot of the lead-up to prom

Jon Heyman just tweeted that, in addition to Thad Levine turning down the opportunity to interview for the Astros' GM job, the White Sox' Rick Hahn and MLB's Kim Ng also turned the Astros down.

Provided that the Astros don't hire Andrew Friedman, whomever is the next GM can take comfort that, at best, they were Plan D.

Bill Geivett interviewing today

Rockies Assistant GM Bill Geivett flew into Houston this morning to interview for the GM position.

Meanwhile, Tim Purpura ended up getting the Rangers' farm director spot.

And in other GM news, Jon Heyman sez that the Astros will do whatever it takes to sign him but his friends say they think it's a long shot.

J.J. Picollo drawing interest

Courtesy of MLBTR, the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton is tweeting that Royals Assistant GM J.J. Picollo is drawing interest from the Astros.

Friedman declines to address status

Read into this whatever you like, but the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin tweeted that:

Friedman declines to address Astros GM situation at pre-winter meetings media session.

Astros receive permission to hang out with Bill Geivett

Can we get a pronunciation here? The Astros have received permission to interview Rockies exec Bill Geivett, who is senior vice president of scouting and player devlopement/assistant general manager.

GM Update!

Big news from the GM search last night, after I went to bed (of course). So let's catch you up, if you haven't already done so:

Thad Levine, Assistant GM for the Rangers, has declined the Astros' offer to interview for the GM position.

Drew Silva says:
With the Winter Meetings set to begin early next week, it might be time to begin bottom-feeding.

Yes, because that's exactly what the Astros need more of.

Also, Ken Rosenthal says that Rockies Assistant GM, Bill Geivett, is a serious candidate for the vacant GM position. Rosenthal:
Geivett, 48, has a wide range of experience. His previous jobs included assistant GM for the Dodgers, farm director for the Rockies and Expos, special assistant to the GM with the Rays and area scout and instructor with the Yankees.

We warned you about this...

So the Astros might get a Rangers exec, and the Rangers might get Purpura

The Astros have asked the Rangers for permission to interview Assistant GM Thad Levine (and, as Sullivan reports, possibly A.J. Preller) for the vacant GM position in Houston.

And in a related note, the Rangers have interviewed Tim Purpura for their own vacant farm team director position.

In the best example of "Telling Half the Story" we've seen in a long time, we turn to T.R. Sullivan:
Purpura was the Astros' assistant general manager from 1997-2004 under Gerry Hunsicker and also served for seven seasons in the dual role of farm director. The Astros were named the Major League Organization of the Year in 2001 by four different entities. From 1997-2005, the Astros went to the playoffs in six of nine years, including 2005 in Purpura's first year as general manager.

Don't get too excited about Andrew Friedman

The way it sounds from reading the internets, the Rays granting the Astros permission to speak with Andrew Friedman about a front office position is something of a professional courtesy. Friedman also offered the same courtesy to the Cubs and the Astros' new rival, the hated Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (you have to start somewhere, right?), and talks went virtually nowhere.

Jon Heyman, for what it's worth, says the Astros' plan all along was to let Friedman turn them down like a cheerleader, and then conduct their search.

So, should you be excited? Absolutely. This shows that the New Regime is invested in finding the best people. It's just probably best to leave it at that.

Astros receive permission to interview Andrew Friedman

Holy Hannah! The Astros have received permission to interview Tampa Bay's Andrew Friedman.

Justice:
Astros owner Jim Crane and CEO George Postolos are hoping the lure of returning to fix the team he grew up rooting for would be just such an extraordinary situation.

Gerry Hunsicker apparently will not be interviewed for the position.

The question, for me, is what compensation would be necessary for the Astros to send the Rays' way if the Astros make the move. Hey, after paying Ed Wade for the next two years, maybe Jim Crane is in a compensating mood.