Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman will find his name in the headlines over the next several days heading into the Winter Meetings in Dallas due to being at the top of the Houston Astros' wish list of general manager candidates.
The Astros announced the dismissal of Ed Wade on Sunday.
It's no secret Astros owner Jim Crane and president and CEO George Postolos want the Houston native to fill the position and turn the club's farm system into one of the best in Major League Baseball.
According to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros have received permission to interview Friedman for the job.
However, it's a long shot to land him.
A source close to the situation told Examiner.com that the 35-year-old Friedman is willing to listen to interested teams as a form of courtesy.
The Cubs, Orioles and Angels expressed interest in luring Friedman to their organizations this offseason, but he chose to stay put.
Still, it never hurts to try.
Crane and Postolos have every right to go after the person whom they believe will be a tremendous asset in making the Astros better.
After a productive 2011 season in which the Rays overtook Boston and slipped into the postseason, in addition to Joe Maddon winning AL Manager of the Year, Friedman has the club moving in the right direction as contenders over the long run.
Although the Rays look good on paper, the reasoning behind Friedman wanting to stay in Tampa extends a lot deeper than that.
Here are the two main reasons why he stays:
1) Tampa's farm system: One of the best in Major League Baseball. The pipeline continues to flow to the big leagues while the talent remains abundant in the minors. Friedman absolutely loved the fact that Tampa had 12 of the first 89 picks in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, including 10 total selections in the first round and supplemental first round. He drafted well.
"Andrew is very excited about this year's Draft," said Kenny Friedman (Andrew's father) back in May. "If Tampa gets it right, they'll be set for the next 10 years. This is the first time ever in which a team has gotten this many picks in the early rounds of the Draft."
2) Motivation: The Rays are a small-market team competing in MLB's best division (AL East) that is capable of breaking through the force field known as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Regardless of profession, apathy often gets created due to a lack of motivation. That will never be the case with Friedman in Tampa.
Imagine his adrenaline rush each year as the Rays battle the Yankees and Red Sox in the division down to the final day of the regular season?
A tough, yet attainable, challenge keeps a highly ambitious, competitive and motivated individual coming back for a lot more.
This best describes Friedman.
Ultimately, Crane and Postolos are doing the right thing by reaching out to Friedman, simply because the worst thing that could happen is he tells them "no, thank you. I wish you the best."
If that becomes the case, the Astros can begin attacking the large pool of qualified candidates who find themselves in the running.
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