Astros Have Spoken To Josh Barfield, Randy Flores About GM Vacancy

The Astros’ general manager search has been underway for two months but could soon draw to a close. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Houston could hire a new general manager before the completion of the World Series. Rome lists White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield, Cardinals assistant general manager Randy Flores and (as already reported earlier today) Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine as three candidates still in the running. That’s not necessarily an exhaustive list; Rome notes that in-house assistant GM Connor Huff has a particularly good relationship with owner Jim Crane, for instance. Both Barfield, 43, and Flores, 51, are former big leaguers. Barfield was an infielder and fourth-round pick of the Padres. He debuted with San Diego in 2006 and had a big rookie showing but was unable to replicate that in parts of three subsequent seasons. He concluded his major league playing career with a .264/.295/.375 batting line in 1075 plate appearances. Upon retiring, Barfield hooked on as a scout in the Diamondbacks organization. He held that role for several years before being elevated to Arizona’s assistant director of player development and, eventually, director of player development in 2019. The White Sox hired Barfield as an assistant general manager in 2023, and he’s been in their front office since, helping to oversee the remarkable turnaround enjoyed by the South Siders in 2026. He’s had a hand in every facet of their baseball operations, ranging from player acquisition to scouting to player development and roster management. Flores played in parts of eight major league seasons from 2002-10. The former ninth-round pick had a few strong seasons as a left-handed reliever, primarily for the same Cardinals that now employ him as an executive. He also suited up for the Rangers, Rockies and Twins. In 250 major league innings, he logged a 4.61 ERA with 76 holds and four saves. Flores was a member of the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2006 and won a World Series ring that year, contributing to the postseason cause with 5 2/3 shutout innings that October. Flores retired as a player in 2013. He first went back to school and completed a master’s degree in education at USC while serving as their assistant baseball coach. He founded his own company, OnDeck Digital, not long after. It focused on video reports on amateur players and was used by as much as one-third of the league in the mid-2010s. The Cardinals hired Flores to run their amateur scouting department late in the 2015 season. He was promoted to assistant general manager a few years later and has held that title for nine years. Flores previously drew some interest in the Mets’ GM search and has been linked to the Angels since they named his former St. Louis boss, John Mozeliak, their interim general manager. Crane fired previous general manager Dana Brown in August after three-plus years on the job. Brown had been hired in place of James Click, whose Astros won the 2022 World Series. Click was a free agent at the end of that season and was offered only a one-year extension despite the World Series win. He declined and took a prominent role in the Blue Jays’ front office instead. He’d been hired away from the Rays to take over for fired president of baseball Jeff Luhnow, who was ousted in the wake of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.