
HOUSTON — The Astros have parted ways with assistant general manager Bill Firkus and farm director Sara Goodrum, representing the first major front-office shakeup under first-year general manager Dana Brown. When reached Monday morning, Brown confirmed the changes.
“We went in a different direction,” Brown said.
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Firkus spent 10 years in the organization and was one of its longest-tenured baseball operations employees. Owner Jim Crane promoted Firkus to assistant general manager last November in the wake of James Click’s departure. Firkus oversaw the team’s player personnel, research and development, sports medicine and performance science.
In December, Firkus served as the front office’s public-facing spokesman at the winter meetings, during which Crane was still running the team’s baseball operations department. Before his promotion, Firkus served as a senior director of baseball operations and director of sports medicine and performance.
A holdover from the Jeff Luhnow regime, Firkus began his Astros career as a medical analyst in 2013. Firkus worked in healthcare investment banking prior to beginning his baseball career. He declined comment when reached on Monday morning.
Click hired Goodrum away from the Milwaukee Brewers in Dec. 2021 and made her one of the highest-ranking female executives in the sport. Goodrum had been the Brewers’ minor-league hitting coordinator before joining the Astros, where she oversaw the organization’s entire player development infrastructure and staff.
Goodrum did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday morning.
Firkus’ departure leaves the team with two assistant general managers: Andrew Ball and Charles Cook. Cook, like Firkus, was promoted by Crane in December after he “parted ways” with Click. Click hired Ball in 2022.
The two departures arrive after Brown promised “at least six” promotions within the baseball operations department last week. It’s unclear whether Brown will use those promotions to fill Goodrum and Firkus’ positions or if he’ll look for help from outside the organization. The team plans to announce its new front-office structure after the season.
(Top photo of Brown: David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
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