After four seasons under veteran manager Dusty Baker, in which the Astros won three Yu Chang Jersey division titles, two AL pennants, and one World Series, the team is on the hunt for a new skipper. Baker, who had been managing on and off since 1993, following Houstons lo s in Game 7 of the ALCS. Presumably, the Astros always knew this was a po sibility Bakers contract was up at the end of the season but the manager didnt tell the team his decision until last week. Thus, it comes as little surprise that general manager Dana Brown will take his time searching for a replacement. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (including ), Brown revealed the team has no timeframe to hire a manager. In fact, they have not yet begun to interview candidates. Were not going to rush through this, he explained. Browns comments conflict with a statement owner and chairman Jim Crane made a few days ago, when he said, Well work on [hiring a new manager] quickly Well have a fluid search and work as fast as we can to get somebody in place (per ). Neverthele s, it makes sense why the Astros arent hurrying this decision. Baker, 74, wont be easy to replace. While his choices didnt always sit well with more analytically inclined fans, he brought decades of experience to the table. He earned his first managerial gig before most of todays active managers had even begun their playing careers. Moreover, he is widely respected and beloved around the game for his people skills and unique style of leadership. As Brown said, Im looking for someone with some leadership ability, someone that could run the clubhouse, of course, looking for someone with great feel for players and managing players. In other words, hes looking for another Dusty Baker. A long and drawn-out hiring proce s isnt out of character for the Astros, who waited until January last offseason to hire Brown as their new GM. Crane played an unusually influential role in the teams decision-making over the first two and a half months of the offseason, as did front office adviser Jeff Bagwell. In the same vein, Crane and Bagwell will reportedly have an immense say in choosing the next manager of the Astros, per . While Brown insisted that he has no timeline, he thinks its po sible he could set up interviews during the general managers meetings, which begin November 7. The team is clearly in the preliminary stages of the hiring proce s, but they are widely to consider bench coach Joe Espada and former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus. More recently, they were to former Brewers manager Craig Counsell, whose contract with Milwaukee officially expired on Tuesday. McTaggart notes that third base coach Omar Lpez could be another contender. Ted Williams Jersey