Andrew Friedman, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays, is baseball's new "it" executive. He's helped build two playoff teams for Tampa Bay, and he did so for something like the cost of one free-agent closer. It's not hard to see why he's in demand, and when the Astros fired Ed Wade, they aggressively pursued Friedman. According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, though, the Astros will have to keep looking:

Hearing #Rays GM already has decided against taking Astros job.

Of course, Friedman technically isn't a GM, so maybe there's still a sliver of a chance, Astros fans. Keep those fingers crossed!

It wasn't a crazy long shot for the Astros to make a run at Friedman, as he's from Houston, and presumably grew up as an Astros fan. Even with the major-league roster overrun with double-A refugees, the opportunity must have appealed to Friedman on some level.

Alas, it wasn't to be. And the search goes on for the next Astros GM -- a search that is making even Orioles fans think, "Jeez. Nobody wants to work for that team."