Brad Ausmus returned to Houston on Friday, stepping into the manager’s role for the Astros with a jersey bearing No. 12, one digit off the No. 11 he wore during his decade as a player in the organization. His hiring came after a complex process that began with an interview for the Astros’ general manager job two weeks ago.
Ausmus confirmed he initially aimed for the GM position but soon found the managerial vacancy was also on the table. “When I left that evening, I was sure of one thing and kind of sure of a second thing,” he said. “I was sure I was not getting the general manager job at that point. And I was kind of sure that I might be involved in the manager (search). But I was not assured that I was going to be the manager.”
The day after Ausmus’ interview, the Astros announced Randy Flores as their new general manager. Questions quickly arose about who influenced Ausmus’ hiring as manager, especially given senior advisor Jeff Bagwell’s presence and history with Ausmus. Ausmus declined to comment on Bagwell’s role, saying, “That’s probably a better question for Jeff than me, quite frankly.” Bagwell attended the introduction alongside Hall of Famer Craig Biggio but did not speak to reporters.
Flores confirmed Ausmus was among several candidates he suggested during his GM interview. Without a prior relationship with Ausmus, Flores said he consulted others around baseball to get a sense of Ausmus’ suitability. The final shortlist also included Albert Pujols, Morgan Ensberg, and Luis Urueta.
After Flores reached out to Ausmus about the managerial job, the two met for a four-hour lunch in San Diego last weekend. Flores said he left “very confident” in his decision. “You never know how these things go when you’re going through an interview process,” Ausmus said. “I went home and told my wife, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get it, but I really liked him, I really enjoyed talking to him.’”
Flores told reporters this week that team owner Jim Crane gave him full authority over the managerial hire. Flores praised Ausmus for his authenticity, intelligence, and experience, including the challenges faced during his previous managerial stints with Detroit and Los Angeles. “I trust him,” Flores said, citing Ausmus’ “willingness to take this challenge on.”
At the podium with Flores on Friday, Ausmus said his immediate focus would be contacting Astros players and assembling his coaching staff. A potential lockout looming on December 1 adds urgency to these tasks, as team employees are barred from contacting players on 40-man rosters during a work stoppage.
“I already started getting phone numbers, but I need to get in touch with this short window we have with those players,” Ausmus said.
The Astros have already retained pitching coach Josh Miller, hitting coach Victor Rodriguez, and first-base coach Dave Clark. Ausmus said he was not worried about stepping in with several coaches already in place. He and Flores planned to begin filling out the rest of the staff immediately.
Ausmus’ previous managerial record includes five seasons with the Tigers and Angels, combining for a 386-422 win-loss tally. He had interviewed for the Astros’ managerial job before the 2020 season and their GM opening after 2022, both times missing out. “I’ve kind of always felt like at some point I would come back to Houston,” he said.
His hiring closes a chapter that began with a GM interview, moved through a managerial candidate evaluation, and ultimately landed Ausmus back with the Astros, where his playing career began.
According to Yahoo Sports.
