Astros' oddly-timed Dana Brown departure should give Cubs perspective on Carter Hawkins

Save for Yordan Alvarez's triple crown chase, there isn't much to pay attention to when it comes to the Houston Astros these days. They're still fighting for first place in a comically weak AL West and may sneak into the playoffs, but this is no longer the dynasty that made the ALCS in seven consecutive seasons from 2017-23.

As such, they pulled the plug on lame-duck general manager Dana Brown this week, cutting him loose as their aging roster struggles to cling to relevance. They never underwent the rebuild that the Chicago Cubs needed to following their mid-2010s championship, but the bill always comes due. At least they have the best hitter in the world to soothe their sorrows in.

The reason this is relevant to the Cubs beyond the obvious 2016-17 parallels is that their own general manager, Carter Hawkins, will once again be a candidate for the front office jobs that open up around the league. Having served in that role for the past five seasons -- he was an assistant GM with the Guardians for many years before that -- his name is sure to garner interest around the league as the North Siders continue to slug their way toward October.

The question is: Would Hawkins leave his job in Chicago for anything but a clear-cut promotion?

Carter Hawkins' comfortable standing with Cubs will make it hard for him to leave

We know that Hawkins was heavily pursued by the Nationals last year for their vacant chief baseball officer position, though he ultimately lost out to Paul Toboni of the Red Sox and opted to return to the Cubs for another season. It's a certainty that he'll get more interviews this offseason ahead of the lockout, but it's unlikely that he'll be the favorite to earn any top executive job.

His tenure in Chicago has been mixed, as he's been credited with helping to overhaul the organization's pitching infrastructure, which has churned out a number of success stories (especially in the bullpen) in recent years. Then again, the Cubs have still had a doozy of a time internally developing pitching prospects, which is partly what made Hawkins so beloved in Cleveland.

He's also just not the best communicator, and we've seen how quickly that can ruin an exec's reputation with Craig Breslow in Boston. Perhaps he'll flourish without oversight from someone like Jed Hoyer, but that's never a guarantee when a guy is sitting in the director's chair for the first time.

And, really, that's sort of the reality staring Hawkins in the face right now. He's got it pretty good with the Cubs, serving as Hoyer's right-hand man during a period of success. Leaving for anything besides the top job elsewhere feels like it would be a lateral move at best, and probably a backward one for his perception around the league.

As more top jobs open around baseball, we're sure to hear Hawkins' name thrown around quite a bit. I just wouldn't expect him to actually leave unless someone is willing to do what the Nationals wouldn't.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow