By Chris Brown | @cbrown398 – STL Baseball Today

Nearly two months after firing scouting director Chris Correa amid federal and team investigations into alleged illegal access of the Houston Astros computer network, the Cardinals have hired former redbird reliever Randy Flores to fill the position.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who was first to report the news, Flores will “oversee the Cardinals’ draft approach, from the scouting of players to the evaluation of players to the strategy behind the use of their bonus pool.” He’ll be announced by GM John Mozeliak on Tuesday, September 1, prior to the team’s game against the Washington Nationals.

Flores, 40, spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, including five with the Cardinals from 2004-2008, compiling a 4.61 career ERA over a 250 total innings. The left-handed specialist was a member of the 2006 World Championship team.

According to the announcement released by the Cardinals on Friday, Flores “holds a master’s degree in Postsecondary Administration/Sports Administration from the University of Southern California and has been involved in coaching, scouting, private business and broadcasting since his playing career ended.”

Goold provides the latest on Correa and the hacking investigation:

Correa oversaw the 2015 draft but was dismissed soon after for his alleged role in the hacking of Houston’s database that prompted an ongoing investigation by the federal government. That investigation continues, as does the Cardinals internal investigation into the allegations that members of the front office illegally accessed the Astros’ information. Correa’s firing, however, left the Cardinals searching for their fourth scouting director in the past five seasons.

As for Flores, he tweeted the following words on Friday morning, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity and excitement for the job:

“Thank you Mr. DeWitt and John Mozeliak for entrusting me with leadership of the Scouting Department. I am thrilled to reunite with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Inordinate thanks are in order to those who impacted my first post-uniform steps including USC, ESPN, Pac-12 Networks, and the teammates, friends, and mentors who assisted the early traction of our startup OnDeck Digital.

I now look forward to meeting and working in-step with the scouts and analysts who tirelessly pursue the Cardinals of tomorrow.”

[Click here for complete coverage of the hacking investigation, including the first report all the way through the latest information.]

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Feature image used under Creative Commons from Ron Cogswell. No changes made. Image License.