Well, the Astros are lining up their general manager candidates, having received permission to interview Rays GM Andrew Friedman and Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine. There will also be other candidates (none of whom are named Gerry Hunsicker), but these two have to be considered the front-runners at this point.

So, why are they here?

First of all, it's highly unlikely that Friedman joins the Astros. That's what we have to keep telling ourselves. There are reasons why he would leave, as Ken Rosenthal lays out in this article for Fox Sports. But, they're still not a lock, even if he believes all of those laid out. It's a tough sell, leaving a team that's currently successful. 

Levine, on the other hand, is not a known commodity and would take some time to evaluate. That, in itself, could set the team back a bit. Think of what happened when we were evaluating Tim Purpura....

At any rate, if you'd like to familiarize yourself more with Levine, MLB Trade Rumors wrote up a profile and interviewof him. Some good stuff in there, especially on scouting. Player development and the minor leagues is so much more complicated than advanced metrics. It's nice to see that he likes to use stats, but doesn't rely on them outright. Now, if the Astros can only get some of these "talent evaluators" he speaks of.