Despite assertions he was done with Major League Baseball, Nolan Ryan says he’s intrigued by the possibility of rejoining the Houston Astros front office and working with son Reid Ryan.
The elder Ryan met with Astros owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow to discuss a possible return to the Astros and under what conditions. Ryan was an adviser to former owner Drayton McLane from 2004 to 2007 before joining the Texas Rangers as CEO and helping to build that team into a annual contender. From the Houston Chronicle:
“I thought it went fine,” the elder Ryan said. “I visited with (Crane) and Jeff on what the role would be. I told them I’d give it a thought and I’d get back to them in the near future.”
Asked if he had a time frame for getting back to Crane, Ryan said he would probably decide before spring training. The Astros’ pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 15….
Although the role isn’t completely defined, Ryan said the position would require him “to be available to consult and do whatever they felt I could assist them with.”
There are already plenty of ties between the Ryans and the Astros. Reid Ryan is president of business operations for the Astros, and the Ryans sold the Corpus Christi Hooks (Class AA; Texas League) to Crane and the Astros. It’s also assumed by many in baseball that the Astros will be shifting their Triple-A affiliation to the Ryan-owned Round Rock Express (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), despite statements by Crane about maintaining an affiliation with the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League).
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