Tim, the showrunner for the TCB Podcast, asked on an episode a few weeks back whether Andrew Friedman would make a difference for Houston. "Is he better than Ed Wade?" Tim asked.
↵I thought about that question when I read this article over at Beyond The Box Score on Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos. It's pretty startling how much he's been able to do for that organization. Of course, he got lucky on some of those deals, like the Jose Bautista acquisition, but the main thrust is that Anthopoulos totally remade that team in two years.
↵The Jays had more talent on the major league team than Houston did, though, so it's not quite the same situation. But, a good GM can make a big-time impact and quickly. Will Friedman be that guy? I hope so, but I'll remain skeptical on his coming to Houston until I see more.
↵It also makes me nervous about Ed Wade being the one pulling the trigger on this Great Sell-Off of 2011 that Houston's going through. I guess we just have to hope Wade can get a good enough return to help the team down the road.
↵