Tal Smith began his career with the Houston Astros in 1960 when the team was founded as the Colt .45s, serving as the farm system director and then assistant to the president. After the 1965 season, he was promoted to vice president of player personnel. After a brief time away, he returned in 1975 as the Astros general manager. After a dispute with the new owner in 1980, Tal formed his own firm to advise MLB clubs on how best to handle salary arbitration cases with their players. He returned to the Astros in 1994, where he served as the president of baseball operations until 2011. Tal was elected to the Houston Astros Hall of Fame on January 27, 2022. This Rawlings official Major League baseball has been hand signed and inscribed Astros Hall of Fame by Tal Smith. Each autograph includes an individually numbered TRISTAR Authentic hologram that can be verified online.