Spurned by first choice Andrew Friedman, the Houston Astros pivoted quickly and named Jeff Luhnow, VP of scouting and player development for the St. Louis Cardinals, as the team’s new general manager.
Friedman, the successful GM of the Tampa Bay Rays and a Houston native, passed on the chance to take the reins under the new Jim Crane ownership regime. After a few days of interviewing other candidates, the team quickly settled on Luhnow. He’ll be introduced at a press conference this afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Luhnow, 45, has been a vice president with the Cards since 2003. He has overseen the Cardinals amateur draft since 2005, selecting the likes of Jaime Garcia, Allen Craig, Jon Jay and Lance Lynn.
“We are very pleased to have Jeff as the new general manager of the Houston Astros,” Astros President and CEO George Postolos said via press release. “Jeff is the perfect fit for the Astros because of his track record in scouting and player development during his eight-plus seasons with the Cardinals….He was born and raised in Mexico and his bicultural background will be an asset in recruiting players from Latin America and developing the Hispanic market for Los Astros.”
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