Houston Astros Fire GM & Team President as New Owner Delivers on Promises

Major League Baseball team, Houston Astros have fired general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith on Sunday night in the first of the changes promised by new owner Jim Crane.

The moves come less than a week after iSportconnect reported the sale of the team from Drayton McLane to Crane was officially completed last Tuesday, a transaction that requires the franchise to move from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013.

In a news conference on the day owners approved the sale on Nov. 17, Crane vowed to meet with all the executives and “make some very, very quick adjustments.”

He has successfully done this with the Astros announcing the moves late Sunday night in a statement from new team president and chief executive officer George Postolos.

Postolos said: “With the change in ownership, we would like a fresh start in baseball operations. We have told Ed Wade and Tal Smith that we are making a change.”

The search for a new general manager will begin immediately. Assistant general manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not be considered for the permanent job.

Postolos said the Astros want a candidate who has a strong commitment to player development necessary for long-term success.

“Our goal is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know the first step towards that goal is to develop one of the top farm systems in baseball,” Postolos said. “We will hire the best candidate available to achieve our goal.”

Wade was hired in September 2007 after spending the previous two years as a professional scout for the San Diego Padres. He was the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1998 until he was fired after the 2005 season.

Smith, who has been team president since 1994, has spent more than 50 years as a baseball executive and more than 30 of those years have been with the Astros. He worked for the franchise in its first season in 1962 when the team was known as the Houston Colt .45s and remained in Houston until 1972.

He spent some time working for the Yankees before returning as general manager of the Astros from 1975-80.

Smith’s input was key in the development of both the Astrodome and Minute Maid Park. A small hill in center field at Minute Maid Park is known as Tal’s Hill as a nod to his work on the project.