The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Who Will Be the Astros Next General Manager?

Episode Date: October 7, 2026

Who Will Be the Astros Next General Manager?

So we do our little post-show videos, and they're fun, they're quick, just kind of a little glance behind the scenes of who we are and what we talk about. And you brought up yesterday about the future general manager, and you've said you want dorks and geeks in there. Yes, let's go. The more spreadsheets, the better. You want all of Ferris Bueller's friends, Dweebs, dorks, geeks, loners, all of them. You want that front office full of those.

Yeah, I mean, of course, I'm half joking when I say that. I don't care how dorky or dewebby anybody is, but the next person who revolutionizes baseball is not going to be some 60-year-old former baseball player. I just, like Jeff Bagwell or something. I want the new, whatever it's going to be. When Jeff Luno came,

it was emphasis on spin rate, it was using trackman to watch pitch shapes, and then you had Brent Strom, who was also working on revolutionizing going with the high four-scene fastball. Like, whatever the next thing is, wherever baseball is going next, I don't think it's going to be

some older guy who's using the eye test. That's my opinion. Two of the Luno disciples, David Stearns and Mike Alliance, to your definition, are those types of people? Yes. And they have not worked out well in those jobs. I think it's been a mixed bag for sure. David Stearns was pretty, he was over there in Milwaukee when things are getting built

and things are looking pretty good in Milwaukee. I don't know how much of his handprints are all over everything over there. He's also had, how many years has he been with the Mets? Been a few. And then Mike Elias, they got up to a couple. good start and then they have tapered off and now people want Michael Alliance out in Baltimore. Those are two general managers just comes to line.

So he's been with the Mets since 2024. So we did this video yesterday. He was with the Brewers from 15 to 23 and the Brewers are one of the best teams in baseball. Yeah. And we based it off of the caller, our buddy Sal, listening to us in Orlando, listens almost every day. And for that, we thank him for that.

About whether or not the Astros, because they have been, is it radio silent, will be the term I would use here? Radio silent on their front. Yes. that they have made no decision about Joe Espada. I'm not surprised at all they've gone radio silent on the general manager. Hackers, there's really no hurry, frankly.

I mean, you wait three more weeks or four more weeks. No. What's the wait? You know what I mean? There's nothing going on. And frankly, with a lockout coming out in December, you're going to have very little doing anything. And now you can organize your roster of your lieutenants. You can reshape how you do the minor league system.

And obviously, myel league baseball will be going on still. The major leagues will not. But so Sal said, hey, we're waiting to find out what's going to happen with the Yankees and whether or not Brad Osmus is going to be considered for something within the Astros. And we didn't bring up too much during the conversation in our video. But, you know, Brad Osmus, because of the relationship with Jeff Bagwell, will be in the offices of Jim Crane at some point, whether it's to be the field manager or the general manager. Because, again, Brad's got experience in both.

Yeah. Not as though as a general manager, but certainly it's an on-field manager. And we don't know how much Jeff Bagwell travels with the team, but last time they were up in New York, Jeff Bagwell and Jim Crane were up there. They were up, absolutely were. No, were the Yankees in town that weekend, I don't know. But here's the bigger issue.

I thought that was when they played the Yankees and Mets in the two series in New York. Oh, I know they were there for the Mets. I could be wrong on this, but I'm... Yeah, I mean... They played them back to back. They played the Yankees and then the Mets, right? But I think Crane was up there. Whatever.

Point being is, yeah, there's very well possible they could have... said something. And Jeff and Brad wore bros, and still probably to this day are, because they're ex-players and they're very close and they work with together for a long time. It was, and this is where I come to Brad's defense a little bit here. Y'all don't want Brad, but you don't really know why you don't want Brad except for the fact that he's Jeff Bagwell's buddy.

Well, and he washed out with the Angels one year and then he was tigers, but they were a mess. Yeah, they were. And again, I will submit, again, On the manager side, I care much, much less. I don't want to say I don't care at all, but get a good baseball guy, get someone at the good, I mean, Dartmouth educated, Brad Osmiff, if he's going to be the manager, that's fine. If he's going to be the general manager, I am more hesitant, personally. Here's what I can't give you an answer to.

If I give Brad Osmiss the keys to the general manager's office, would he put people behind him that would get in deep down in the weeds to replenish this minellick system? and I brought this up on the video yesterday. That to me is the number one thing. Trades are going to go probably through Jeff's ears and will be in the brain of Jim Cranes. But you've got to get the real, really smart town evaluators to replenish this model league system

and they've got to get it done fast. They're going to hire people that they believe are. I don't think Jim Crane is going to be like, this guy's an idiot. He's got the job. But they're going to hire the people that they believe are going to be able to do the best job. I just don't know what philosophically in terms of the balance of analytics and, you know,

and eye tests and all that kind of stuff they're going to go with. But the optics, Ross, is if Brad is involved in this organization, in either one of the two jobs, people are going to immediately crush it. You know how we are in society. We hate everything until something turns perfect. And if any signs of not being perfect, we crush it again. if Brad Ossman, and again, I don't know Brad. A lot of managers, third time to Charming Places.

I mean, let me tell you something. A.J. Hinch was a 100% failure as a manager of Arizona Diamondbacks. They couldn't have got rid of him fast enough. And he even admitted, I as a young manager, I wasn't good at it. Comes to Houston, it was considered one of the best. Got rehired fairly quickly by Detroit. So sometimes it takes one. Tiger fans don't like them right now.

That's true. one or two spots along the way to become who you are. I mean, Joe Torrey, great manager of the Yankees. He was okay in Atlanta and okay in St. Louis, but he became the elite manager of all those Yankees teams. Yeah, that's when they had like Derek Jeter and Mariano Romano. Bernie Williams and they got a lot better. It's weird.

Roger Clemens. It does work out that way. All of a sudden, they were winning. David Cohn's a pitching for us, Andy Pennett? Oh, I love that. Sounds great to me. So, and I'm not trying to defend, Brad. I'm just trying to think about from his perspective.

If I all of a sudden can't If Chandler or Brian or Matt Kawakarwa comes out and says Brian Austin is the blank of the team The minute reaction is not going to be Oh he's so cute I love having an astro back It's going to be Oh Jeff Bagwell

What are you doing? I think That's not fair to Brad Overblown It's maybe not even fair to Jeff Because I mean It's not Jeff Bagwell's fault That Jim Crane wants to listen to everything he says

Jim Crane's fault And I understand Jeff Bagwell, Hall of Famer, 449 home runs, etc., etc. But I don't think he should have as much influence. Somebody who is as deeply anti-analytics as he has is in 2026 should not have as much influence as he does on a major league organization. And I would hope that if Jeff from, because I do think Jeff's got value to the organization. And maybe somebody, everybody else agrees to disagree with me. I think Jeff's got value to him.

But you have to cross-check. But he shouldn't be running the show. That's the problem, is that nobody really knows except Jeff, Jim, and a few other people in that office. How much power Jeff has? I mean, is Jeff, I think, the most important baseball executive without an official super big title? Hasn't, I mean, was it, I'm trying to remember, I don't want to misquote any of our great reporters. Was it a Chandler Rome article, or there was somebody saying, like, Jeff has more influence in this organization than we think. think maybe it was Brian I think might have been McTaggart on with the A team recently talking about him having like being involved like sleeves rolled up in a lot of these decisions and trades and all that stuff.

I if you were to if if I was a betting man which I do bet Jeff carries incredible power and that's why it all it's like unless it's something we don't know like if there's any connection to Jeff to a former player or somebody that Jeff knows the guy's going to get cross. It doesn't matter who it is.