Here are the best general managers in Astros history

HOUSTON -- Bill Wood pulled off one of the best trades in Astros history by acquiring future Hall of Fame slugger Jeff Bagwell from the Red Sox in exchange for veteran pitcher Larry Andersen in 1990. Bob Watson became the first African American general manager in baseball history when the Astros promoted him from assistant GM in 1993.

As big as those storylines are in the history of the franchise, the men who are considered the best general managers in club history have résumés highlighted by impactful moves during their tenures. Here are the top five GMs in franchise history:

1. Jeff Luhnow (2011-2020)
Shortly after he purchased the team in 2011, owner Jim Crane plucked away Luhnow from the Cardinals, with whom he had served as vice president and helped build them into the World Series champs in 2011. He did the same in Houston, rebuilding the Astros’ system from the bottom up, culminating in the 2017 World Series championship. The Astros won a franchise-record 107 games in 2019 and lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Nationals. Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were fired just a few months later for their part in the sign-stealing scandal, but Luhnow’s nucleus of players helped Houston win the World Series again in 2022.

2. Gerry Hunsicker (1995-2004)
The Astros won four division titles in a five-year span under Hunsicker and manager Larry Dierker. In 1998, when the Astros won 102 games, Hunsicker was named The Sporting News Executive of the Year. After the 2004 season, Hunsicker resigned as GM with one year remaining on his contract, citing at the time a desire to "take a step back, smell the roses and recharge the batteries" as reasons for his resignation, though it wasn’t a secret he clashed with owner Drayton McLane.

3. Tal Smith (1975-80)
In a variety of roles, Smith witnessed nearly every key moment in history for the first half-century of the Houston baseball franchise, from the birth of the Colt .45s in 1962 to the opening of the Astrodome and the run of six playoff appearances in nine seasons (1997–2005). He served as general manager from 1975-80 and assembled the club that won the team’s first division title in the NL West in 1980, which included the signing of Nolan Ryan. He was the team’s president of baseball operations from 1994-2011 and came up with the idea of Tal’s Hill when the downtown ballpark opened in 2000.

4. James Click (2020-22)
Click took over as general manager after Luhnow was fired, leaving big shoes to fill. He also had to navigate the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Astros came within a game of reaching the World Series in ’20 and advanced to the World Series in Click’s final two seasons in Houston, beating the Phillies in the Fall Classic in ’22. Among his best moves was the trade to acquire Yainer Diaz from Cleveland, but he didn’t see eye to eye on some issues with Crane.

5. Ed Wade (2007-11)
Wade, who acquired many of the players who led the Phillies to the 2008 World Series title, helped lay the groundwork for the Astros’ AL dynasty, though he wasn’t around to see it through. Among the players he acquired in the MLB Draft were 2017 World Series MVP George Springer, 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and catcher Jason Castro. He also drafted infielder Kiké Hernández and slugger J.D. Martinez, each of whom starred elsewhere, and promoted Jose Altuve from Double-A to the Major Leagues in 2011.