James Click out.
The Astros announced Friday that General Manager James Click will not be returning with the team. Click joined the Astros in 2020 after Jeff Luhnow was fired by Jim Crane for the sign-stealing scandal.
Click had been with the Tampa Bay Rays since 2005 where he started as an intern. He worked his way into the front office and was promoted to vice president of baseball operations in 2017. The Rays implore a mentality of refraining from big splashes in free agency and building from within as well as a heavy emphasis on analytics. The Astros believe in analytics as well, but some of this Tampa mentality became a tension between Crane and Click.
Let's set the record straight
Before I go deeper into this, I want to preface that Click was not a bad general manager. I think he is a smart person who knows baseball very well and got stuck in an impossible situation.
He joined a team in 2020 that was facing national scrutiny, lost their general manager and lost multiple draft picks. He then had to work through a pandemic and lockout. Click tried his best to rebuild a farm system that was ranked one of the worst while also trying to keep the major league team competitive.
With that said, it's also good to remember that most of players from the 2022 World Series team were Luhnow players. So while working on borrowed time, he and Crane butted heads on several things.
Where did things go wrong?
I have been hearing about the Astros moving on from Click for over a year now. A source told me prior to the 2022 season that this could be Click’s last year, as his contract was expiring and he might not be brought back.
The issues between Crane and Click spur from a large shift in belief on how to run a team. I have been told stories from several sources on what has been happening behind the scenes. Here are a few.
2021: Liam Hendriks
Prior to the 2021 season, reports surfaced that the Astros were interested in All-Star relief pitcher Liam Hendriks. Sources confirmed to me that the Astros were interested and almost signed him.
The story was that Crane told Click to sign Hendriks no matter what. I was told that the contract was almost to the finish line, and then, Click nixed the deal because of a high cost.
My understanding of the matter is that Crane became upset that the deal didn't happen, and he would have been willing to spend the money.
2022: Starling Marte
Starling Marte was almost an Astro. Sources told me that Crane was adamant that the team needed to sign a high-level center fielder and Marte was on the list.
Reports said that the Astros were in talks, and these negations were confirmed to me. The interest was mutual between both parties, and the deal just needed to be finished. Click brought up the issue of former PED use and age then decided to pass on the deal.
The reasoning from Click does make sense, but Crane apparently wasn't happy that the team had no clear-cut center fielder, and he wanted Marte on the team.
The issues of a center fielder became a recurring issue.
2022: Betting his career on Meyers
One of the biggest pain points between different groups in the Astros front office was their view on Jake Meyers. Click and his team loved the advanced stats and development of Meyers as a full-time center fielder
Others disagreed.
Meyers showed glimpses of what he could be in 2021, but injured his shoulder in the playoffs and had to get surgery. The different view points on Meyers came to a head at spring training before the 2022 season when there was a disagreement over who should play center field for the team that season.
One group loved the idea of prospect Pedro León, but Click was adamant about Meyers. Per people familiar with this meeting, Crane asked Click if he wanted to bet his career on Meyers.
Click said yes.
2022: Trade deadline
Before the 2022 trade deadline, word spread that the Astros were going to be aggressive. Crane had made it very clear that the Astros needed to make a big splash, and Click needed to make it happen.
When the deadline passed, Houston ended up with Trey Mancini, Christian Vázquez and Will Smith. At the time, this didn't settle well for some in the front office. A source told me that Crane was frustrated with Click’s “Tampa Bay mentality” specifically after this moment.
Reports later surfaced that Houston was in the process of trading for catcher Willson Contreras for pitcher José Urquidy. This trade was led by Click and was ultimately shut down because of Contreras’ personality in the locker room.
I was told by a source that a high level member of the front office, who I will not name, told Crane and Dusty Baker that the Astros shouldn’t make this trade, because Contreras wouldn’t be good for the locker room.
Crane listened and shut down the trade.
What does it all mean?
The biggest takeaway is that Click and Crane were never on the same page. Crane likes to be involved and has always been involved heavily with Astros operations.
My understanding is that he wants a general manager that he can trust to get the job done. Some would consider this demanding but Crane’s track record speaks for itself — two World Series wins, four American League pennants and six straight ALCS appearances.
To Click’s defense, he came into a tough situation and was able to keep the ship afloat. A couple major accomplishments while with the Astros include re-stocking the farm system. If you look at the top-30 prospects, the majority are players he has brought to the Astros via trade, draft or signing.
Click also had a major hand in building a juggernaut of a bullpen. Of the team’s top relievers through the season, Rafael Montero, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton were players he brought to Houston. Click also helped in extending top players such as Lance McCullers Jr, Yordan Álvarez and Ryan Pressly.
Click also had some pretty terrible moves, such as signing Pedro Báez or Niko Goodrum. Both players were designated for assignment and never panned out with the team. No GM is perfect, and not every signing will work out.
At the end of the day, the Click era is over. Crane will move on to a general manager who more aligns to his direction. Houston will need to find someone who is fine with Crane’s watchful eye, but they will know they are joining a team still in a championship window.
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Great article. I do not disagree with cranes assessment of click but I do believe that the best teams are ones with a mix of free agents vs home grown / superstars vs role players. Too many big personalities seem to get in the way of winning. Not saying marte or Hendrick or Wilson were that. But for example I know luhnow wanted tj realmuto for years.....he is better than maldy on probably every level but I am happy we have maldy.
Wow, great article! I had never heard this info about Hendricks and Marte. Thanks for sharing! Can you imagine how good this year’s team would have been with those two on it? I think I agree with Crane on all of those issues, and this is going to be a good change for Astros fans.
Click will be a better fit in an organization with a concrete budget ceiling. Crane is willing to spend if it means winning. He needs someone who can bring him deals, where he can approve or reject. We need a GM that can provide a steady flow of options and roll with the punches when his/her recommendations get shot down.
This off-season is going to be wild, and I can’t wait to see our lineup next year. It seems kinda awkward now, but I think we are going to look back on this week quite positively next year.