DALLAS--In their effort to bring the first championship in club history to Houston, the Astros will turn to a reigning champion, hiring Cardinals director of player procurement Jeff Luhnow to be general manager.

The group of owner Jim Crane and CEO George Postolos made the announcement late Wednesday night at the winter meetings, ending a 10-day search following the firing of Ed Wade.  He will be introduced to Houston in a 1 p.m. press conference at Minute Maid Park.

Luhnow served in an amateur scouting role that fit the profile of what the Astros sought heading into their search.

In replacing Wade, Luhnow will be tasked with continuing the rebuilding of the farm system that Wade began by trading All-Stars Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence.  The Astros' search focused entirely on candidates who boasted strong backgrounds in scouting and player development.

''We are very pleased to have Jeff as the new General Manager of the Houston Astros,'' Postolos said in a prepared statement.''  Jeff is the perfect fit for the Astros because of his track record in scouting and player development during his eight-plus seasons with the Cardinals.

''The Astros strive to develop one of the best systems in baseball and create a consistent winner at the Major League level.  Jeff has the knowledge, skills and experience to lead the baseball operations efforts at all levels and help the Astros achieve this vision.  Jeff has a demonstrated the ability to inspire and motivate staff in the front office and out in the field.  He was born and raised in Mexico and his bicultural background will be an asset in recruiting players from Latin America and developing the Hispanic market for Los Astros.''

(SOURCE)