What happened: Houston added Ben Sestanovich and Scott Sharp to a shortlist that already includes Jeremy Barfield, Jesus Flores and Matt Kleine. The club aims to complete the hire before Halloween.

Why it matters: A pre-Halloween hire would put the new executive in place for early offseason roster moves. The search runs as Milwaukee waits in the World Series after sweeping Los Angeles.

What to watch: Next step is second interviews and a decision around Oct. 31.