The biggest Astros scuttlebutt coming out of the Winter Meetings is that Tampa Bay executive Andrew Friedman has turned down the Houston Astros' open position at general manager.
↵It was inevitable, as many people predicted the chances of Friedman joining the team were small. However, his lack of a denial was enough to keep hope alive for Houston fans. Unfortunately, there were plenty of signs that this was coming and it hasn't been confirmed yet, but it's probably a done deal.
↵Other news to come out of the Winter Meetings? Interim GM David Gottfried has been given autonomy to pursue deals. That means there is a possibility that Houston could trade Wandy Rodriguez this week, but likely that will be left to the next GM.
↵And...well, that's pretty much it. Don't expect the Astros to be involved in many news stories this week that don't involve GM candidates. The only player they're likely to add is a Rule 5 pickup, which won't exactly turn the internets on fire.
↵But, hopefully, we'll be able to get that GM settled by the end of the week and maybe get some news that actually matters on the player front.
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