Jim Crane took over as owner of the Houston Astros on Nov. 17.
Houston Astros Fire Ed Wade And Tal Smith
He didn’t wait very long to begin changing things in the executive offices. According to the team’s website, team president Tal Smith and general manager Ed Wade were fired Sunday:
In a statement released by the club, team president and CEO George Postolos said assistant general manager David Gottfried will serve as interim general manager but is not a candidate for the permanent position.
“With the change in ownership, we would like a fresh start in baseball operations,” Postolos said in the statement. “We have told Ed Wade and Tal Smith that we are making a change. We recognize their dedication to the Houston Astros. We thank each of them for their significant contributions and many years of service to the Astros, and wish them our very best as they pursue new opportunities.”
Smith had been part of the Astros for much of their existence; he joined them in 1960, before they even took the field and when they were still named “Colt .45s”, and was with them most of the time from then until 1980. He returned to the team in 1993 when Drayton McLane bought the club.
Wade was hired as GM in 2007 and although the Astros had some good Septembers that made their overall record in his first couple of years look decent, they hit rock bottom in 2011 with the worst record in franchise history, losing 106 games.
For more on the Astros, visit our SB Nation Astros blog The Crawfish Boxes.
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