HOUSTON -- Jim Crane’s first general manager hire after purchasing the Astros 15 years ago was an executive from the Cardinals, which couldn’t have turned out any better. Crane, who grew up in St. Louis and parked cars at old Busch Stadium, plucked Jeff Luhnow away from the Cardinals’ front office and watched him build a dynasty in Houston.
Crane returned to his St. Louis roots for his fourth general manager hire as Astros owner, hiring 51-year-old Cardinals assistant general manager Randy Flores to be GM, the team announced Friday night. Flores will be introduced to the media at a press conference Monday at Daikin Park.
The hiring comes more than two months after the Astros parted ways with GM Dana Brown, who was in his fourth season. The Astros won their eighth American League West title in 10 seasons this year but finished 81-81 and with a ton of roster questions that have clouded the future of the club.
Flores, a former left-handed pitcher who appeared in 350 career Major League games with the Cardinals, Rockies, Rangers and Twins, has been an assistant GM with the Cardinals for eight seasons (2019-26) after joining the club’s front office as its director of scouting in 2015.
“Randy has had a huge impact on the Cardinals over the last 10 seasons,” Crane said 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’ first task will be finding a manager to replace Joe Espada, whose contract wasn’t renewed after three seasons on the job. The Astros also have several holes to fill on their coaching staff, as well, including bench coach.
After his playing career, Flores returned to his alma mater at USC, earning a master’s degree in postsecondary administration in 2014. During graduate school, he was USC’s pitching coach (2013), worked as a college baseball analyst for ESPN and Pac-12 Networks, and founded a sports video technology company.
“I am excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity,” Flores said in a statement. “The Astros have a long winning tradition under Jim Crane, and I look forward to contributing to the success. I want to thank the Cardinals organization for the opportunities and support that made this next chapter possible. My family and I are excited to make Houston home.”
Luhnow rebuilt the Astros into a World Series champion, which came four years after Houston lost 100 games three seasons in a row -- the product of stripping down the roster a part of the one of the most aggressive rebuilds in the sport’s history. The Astros soon turned into a juggernaut with a roster featuring homegrown stars that led them to the ALCS seven years in a row, four AL pennants and World Series titles in 2017 and ’22.
The Astros’ win total has slipped in each season since they went 106-56 and beat the Phillies in the World Series in ‘22, including a .500 record this year that was good enough to win a poor division. The Astros couldn’t keep some key core players from their championship teams and currently have a farm system that hasn’t produced front-line talent like it was doing routinely in the late 2010s.
The franchise is at a bit of a crossroads.
After enduring injuries and a 20-31 start this year, the Astros got healthy and overtook the Rangers to win a division in which no team had a winning record. The team’s roster deficiencies were evident throughout the season, including a lack of quality pitching depth, a poor collection of outfielders and a Minor League system that’s improving, though the top position-players prospects are at the lower levels.
Don’t expect Crane to stomach another dramatic rebuild like the Astros had 15 seasons ago. The Astros still feature star players in presumptive 2026 AL Most Valuable Player Yordan Alvarez, shortstop Jeremy Peña, second baseman Jose Altuve and closer Josh Hader, as well a quality pieces in third baseman Isaac Paredes, reliever AJ Blubaugh, outfielder Cam Smith and starting pitcher Hunter Brown, among others.
But the roster has some holes that will need to be addressed, and the Astros are giving the keys to Flores to try to keep them competing for the playoffs yet again in 2027.