Hunsicker has been an executive with the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays and the general manager of the Houston Astros from November 1995 until the end of the 2004 campaign.
From 1988 to 1992, he held various positions with the New York Mets, including director of minor league operations and assistant general manager.
[2] Hunsicker would have eight MLB drafts to help assemble a lineup that contained two future Hall of Famers with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.
His first pick as a GM in Mark Johnson did not work out, although he would be used in a trade for .300 hitter Moises Alou in 1998; other choices would develop better.
The Astros would have their first 100-win season in team history in 1998, which notably finished with the acquisition of Randy Johnson as a summer rental, for which the Seattle Mariners acquired three prospects (Freddy García, Carlos Guillén, and John Halama).
[4] Owner Drayton McLane tried to keep the interest alive, even coming to an idea to trade pitcher Scott Elarton, shortstop Julio Lugo and outfielder Richard Hidalgo to Toronto, but it fizzled out.
That year, Clemens would win the Cy Young Award (his seventh all-time) while Beltran tied the record for most home runs hit in a postseason with eight.
Among the last things done with Hunsicker as general manager was to pick up the club option on Craig Biggio for 2005 (which amounted to $3 million) while declining the option for Jeff Kent (which was at $9 million); reportedly, the decision was more the idea of McLane (who apparently had been phoned directly by Biggio two years prior when he wanted a new contract) rather than Hunsicker.
[9][10][11][12] He spent seven years with the Tampa Bay Rays as senior vice president, baseball operations and left that post to join the Dodgers front office in October 2012.