Owner Jim Crane called Flores a perfect fit after pulling him from the Cardinals' scouting department to run Houston's front office.
The Astros introduced Randy Flores as the 15th general manager in franchise history on Monday, with owner Jim Crane praising him as a "perfect fit" for the job.
Flores comes over from St. Louis, where he joined the Cardinals' front office in August 2015 as scouting director. He kept running the club's amateur drafts even after being promoted to assistant general manager in late 2018, and his most recent title there was assistant GM of amateur and pro acquisition. His work reportedly extended well past the draft, overseeing both amateur and pro scouting for the Cardinals.
Crane pointed to that scouting and player-acquisition background as the reason Houston was sold on Flores during the interview process. The hire was officially announced Friday, which means Flores is stepping into the role with the offseason clock already running. Questions remain about why the search dragged until Oct. 30 if Flores was the target the whole time, leaving him little runway to start shaping the Astros' next era before free agency and roster-building decisions pile up.