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Astros shake up front office

Ed Wade (left) was fired Sunday as general manager of the Houston Astros. He is shown here in an Oct. 27, 2009, photo with then-club owner Drayton McLane (right), who sold the club this month, when Brad Mills (center) was introduced as the team's manager. With a front-office shake-up that includes the departure of team President Tal Smith and the team coming off a 106-loss season, Mills' status has come under a cloud. UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher
Ed Wade (left) was fired Sunday as general manager of the Houston Astros. He is shown here in an Oct. 27, 2009, photo with then-club owner Drayton McLane (right), who sold the club this month, when Brad Mills (center) was introduced as the team's manager. With a front-office shake-up that includes the departure of team President Tal Smith and the team coming off a 106-loss season, Mills' status has come under a cloud. UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher | License Photo

HOUSTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Houston Astros, coming off a 106-loss season, said Sunday they have dumped Ed Wade as general manager and Tal Smith as team president.

Astros Chief Executive Officer George Postolos said the team, which officially changed ownership this month and is bound for the American League, is looking for a breath of fresh air.

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"We are searching for a candidate who has the knowledge, skills and experience to build a winner and a strong commitment to player development in order to sustain success," Postolos said. "Our goal is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know the first step towards that goal is to develop one of the top farm systems in baseball. We will hire the best candidate available to achieve our goal."

Dave Gottfried will be the interim general manger for the time being.

Since Wade became GM in September 2007, Houston has had just one winning season and concluded the 2011 season with a dismal 56-106 mark. He previously was GM in Philadelphia from 1998 to 2005.

Smith had been affiliated with the Astros for 35 years, including the last 17 as team president.

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