Dusty Baker: Astros Didn't Have GM To Add Veteran Pitcher

The Houston Astros didn't add a veteran pitcher after Justin Verlander left in free agency, something Dusty Baker would have liked to see the club do.

Baker was asked whether the Astros considered making such a move this offseason.

"You got to ask the powers that be," the manager said. "I got the power, but not the authority. That was always a consideration for me … We didn't have a general manager in place in order to make that move."

After parting ways with general manager James Click not long after the club won the World Series, the Astros didn't name a permanent successor until Dana Brown's hiring in late January.