Advertisement

The Astros Have Moved On From GM James Click After He Rejected Their One Year Contract Extension And Reportedly "Aired Out His Grievances" At The GM Meetings This Week

Harry How. Getty Images.

The dynamic between GM James Click and Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has been very, very weird to follow. Throughout the postseason you heard rumblings that Click, operating under an expiring deal, was gone no matter what. But why? Why change anything up with the front office the way things are going? If there was one team that didn't need to mess with anything this offseason it's the Astros. They're a well-oiled machine who constantly find themselves in the ALCS every season at minimum. Well, a week after Houston won the World Series we get official word that Click is out, just like that. Not sure you can find many GMs in sports history who were canned right after winning a championship, but here we are. 

Now it's important to note a large majority of the Astros championship roster was constructed by former GM Jeff Luhnow. He now owns soccer teams in Mexican and Spanish leagues in case you were wondering. James Click inherited a World Series ready roster and basically had to just not fuck anything up. Re-sign Verlander, let Correa walk so Jeremy Pena could become the guy, and bring in a few bullpen arms. While him moving on like this is crazy, let's not pretend he's the mad scientist behind constructing this perennially dominating roster. 

That being said, I need to know what Click said at these GM meetings. The terminology behind Click being "fired" or not is confusing. He technically didn't have a contract with the team anymore, but was working as an at-will employee at the GM Meetings, similar to what Brian Cashman is doing right now for the Yankees. Cash knows he's coming back because Hal Steinbrenner inexplicably treats him like family, but they just haven't gotten to his deal yet. That's far down the list with the player issues that face them taking priority. Was Click just getting bombed in Vegas at these meetings and mouthing off about how much of a scumbag Crane is? Would be a shame if more of those details leaked out and made this spicier. 

People seem to think the Astros go after David Stearns, the former GM of the Brewers, but they'd need permission from the club to do that as he's still employed as a consultant currently. Not sure that happens considering he stepped down after saying he just couldn't handle the gig anymore. As for Click, you'd imagine he'll have his pick for where he wants to work next. I'd cry if Hal grew a pair and dismissed Cashman, bringing in Click as his replacement. Not happening, but one can dream!

P.S. I'm weary of Bob reporting the grievances aspect of this, but he also was first to the Edwin Diaz Mets extension. Maybe Bob is getting hot? I will say with all these parody verified accounts on Twitter now, we're just moments away from a major Bob moment where he botches a huge story.