Former Angels GM Candidate Remains In AL West With Astros

The Los Angeles Angels need a new GM, and plenty of names have been floated, including the possibility of interim GM John Mozeliak staying on past his contract expiration date in December. But that option is now off the table given that Mozeliak will be moving on. 

One name that was floated was Randy Flores, based on his prior association with Mozeliak with the St. Louis Cardinals. Flores is also a native of southern California, so it made a certain amount of sense for him to come home and lead the team in Anaheim. 

Not any more. The Angels will be seeing plenty of Flores, but now it will be as a division rival, with the Houston Astros hiring him as their new GM. 

It’s a surprising move for a number of reasons. Former GM Dana Brown was fired by owner Jim Crane back on Aug. 24, and Chandler Rome of The Athletic called the move a “last-minute pivot.”

The surprise is about who Crane was supposedly giong to hire. Matt Kleine is a long-time executive for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he was supposed to capitalize on Milwaukee’s newfound success and take over, but that didn’t work out. 

The reasons are slowly surfacing. Crane brought Kleine to a red-carpet appearance at a Houston Hall of Fame induction ceremony earlier this month, per Rome, and the Astros supposedly offered Kleine the job shortly before the Brewers won the World Series on Wednesday night. 

But things went sideways because Kleine either sought a higher salary or the title of president of baseball operations title in Houston. 

That dealer’s choice of possibilities raises skepticism about the report, but Rome went on to add that Crane hasn’t given that tirle to either of his last two general managers. Jeff Luhnow was one, and now Flores is the other, with both having a background with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. 

Flores has a backround in scouting and player acquisition, which fits the title and Houston’s current needs. One part of this that’s been consistently reported is that former Astro Jeff Bagwell has a huge amount of influence with Crane as a senior adviser, and he’s involved in many baseball operations decisions, according to Rome. 

The new GM will be on the clock in a big way. He gets less than a month to implement his new ideas, and there’s a lot of work to do given that the Astros finished at .500. The Angels won’t be making their decision any time soon, but Flores will now be a presence in the division.