Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that the Astros are promoting Connor Huff, vice president of business and baseball operations, to assistant general manager. He will work under general manager Dana Brown, replacing the outgoing Andrew Ball.
The Astros are having their most disappointing season in years. They struggled down the stretch and finished with an 87-75 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They’ll be making some adjustments to get back on track next year.
Brown and head coach Joe Espada will remain, but it was reported a few weeks ago that several other changes were also taking place. Hitting coaches Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker, catching coach Michael Collins, head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randle and Bauer will not return. Recently, pitching coach Bill Murphy was poached by the Pirates.
The club’s promotion next year will be challenging. Even before any offseason action, the club’s competitive balance tax was about $20MM below the tax line, according to RosterResource. The Astros sometimes cross the line, but are usually reluctant to do so. Moving to the trade market will also be difficult as Houston’s farm system is considered one of the worst in the league. Huff will step up and see if he can help Brown through the choppy waters.
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