The Astros’ search for a new general manager appears to be narrowing fast, and the name at the top of the board is Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that Kleine is Houston’s leading target, though the sides have not yet reached an agreement on a hiring. Kleine had already been in the conversation for some time, with his name surfacing in August soon after Dana Brown was dismissed from the job.
That earlier reporting also included Matt Klentak, another Milwaukee assistant general manager. According to Rome, Klentak drew interest too, but he took himself out of the running earlier this month.
Kleine is not the only executive who had been linked to the opening. Former Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, Rays assistant general manager Kevin Ibach, White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield, Cardinals assistant general manager Randy Flores, Royals senior vice president Scott Sharp and Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich were all publicly tied to the vacancy. Still, Kleine was widely viewed as the favorite.
The fit makes sense given what Astros owner Jim Crane said he wanted: a new general manager from a club that has won with a low payroll. Milwaukee has become the clearest example of that model.
The Brewers usually sit in the bottom third of MLB payrolls, yet they keep piling up wins. They have reached the postseason in eight of the past nine seasons, and in 2026 they pushed all the way to a franchise-record 103 wins before capturing the first World Series title in club history.
Kleine has spent nearly two decades climbing in that environment. The Brewers hired him as an associate scout 19 years ago, and after steadily moving up the organizational ladder, he was promoted to assistant general manager after the 2023 season.
If Houston does bring him in, he inherits a team at a crossroads. The Astros were a juggernaut for years, but the results have slipped. After winning 106 games and the World Series in 2022, their totals dropped to 90, 88, 87 and 81 in the seasons that followed.
The core has changed, too. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are gone. Jose Altuve remains, and Carlos Correa is back, but both are now in their mid-30s and their production has declined.
There is still talent on hand. Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz, Josh Hader and Hunter Brown are all still in the mix, though there are questions attached to that group. Peña, Paredes and Walker are set to hit free agency after 2027, while Alvarez, Hader, Diaz and Brown are slated for the open market after 2028.
The farm system is another issue. Years of late draft picks, along with penalties from the sign-stealing scandal, have left it in rough shape.
Payroll might give Houston some room to maneuver, but the franchise has not exactly lived in the deep end of the free-agent pool. The Astros have never handed out a free-agent contract worth more than $100MM. They have signed some larger extensions, but none has gone beyond six years or $160MM in new money.
Still, there is a path back into the race. The division is open, and Houston has shown a willingness to carry a solid payroll when it believes it can win.
The roster has plenty of moving parts, but it was good enough to squeeze into the playoffs in 2026. If Kleine finishes the job and takes over, he will be stepping into a busy winter, with an expected offseason lockout looming as well.
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