Astros step up GM search — AL West roundup

There were no games on the schedule in the AL West, but the Houston Astros still managed to be the center of attention by pushing forward in their search for a new general manager.

Houston widens its pool of GM candidates

As relayed by MLB Trade Rumors, the Astros have expanded their list of candidates for the vacant GM position. Royals senior vice president Scott Sharp and Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich are both in the mix, according to a report from Chandler Rome of The Athletic cited by the site. They join an initial group of candidates already known to be on Houston’s radar, though not all names have been made public.

In a separate piece highlighted by MLB Trade Rumors, Rome reports that the Astros’ search has been underway for two months and could be wrapped up before the end of the World Series. That article notes that Houston has spoken with White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield and Cardinals amateur scouting director Randy Flores about the vacancy.

A third MLB Trade Rumors report, this time drawing on information from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, adds Brewers assistant GM Matt Kleine to the list of candidates. The Astros are seeking a replacement for Dana Brown, from whom they moved on in late August. At the time of Brown’s departure, owner Jim Crane indicated the team would not immediately launch an aggressive search, according to those reports.

Quiet elsewhere around the AL West

The rest of the division remained off the radar. The Sacramento Athletics (64-98), Los Angeles Angels (62-100), Seattle Mariners (76-86) and Texas Rangers (80-82) neither played nor figured into the news over the last 24 hours. For now, the only real movement in the AL West is happening in Houston’s front office as the Astros try to stabilize their leadership ahead of the offseason.