"In part because of the delays in ownership transfer that pushed the front-office changes well past the usual window for firings and hirings, the Astros will need a multi-tasking approach.

Astros owner Jim Crane and CEO George Postolos, upon their arrival at the annual industry convention, will continue their search for a new general manager. That it comes well after the other six GM changes leaves interim general manager David Gottfried in place for the meetings. And he is not without his own list of priorities while the suits are looking for a permanent replacement.

Yes, the baseball show must go on even as the front-office ladder faces uncertainty.

Among the projects facing the Astros as the general managers, other executives and agents convene at the Hilton Anatole are an evaluation of the shortstop market, perhaps the trade of a starting pitcher and a decision on whether to use or pass on their No. 1 overall pick in the Rule 5 draft."