James Click Will Not Return As Astros General Manager After Title-Winning Season

General manager James Click will not be returning to the Houston Astros for the 2023 MLB season.

It isn't often World Series winners break apart so quickly, but Houston Astros general manager James Click and owner Jim Crane never saw eye-to-eye.

Evidenced by the recently reported upon Willson Contreras trade deadline debacle, Click and Crane had differing opinions on how the ball club was to be run. 

In the end, those differences were too much to concede. Click was offered a one-year deal to stay with the organization in 2023, but understandably, he wanted more.

Manager Dusty Baker returned on a one-year lame-duck deal, but Baker is 73 years old. Click, just age-44, is entering his prime as a baseball operations manager.

After declining Crane's one-year offer, Click likely believes he can find a more lucrative, more stable deal elsewhere, potentially as a president of baseball operations instead of a general manager.

Click may end up becoming the most sought-after executive in baseball history, as so seldom are title-winning executives on the market as free agents.

Update: Click was reportedly fired according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. After turning down Crane's one-year offer and a raise, the former Astros' GM aired his "grievances" at the general manager meetings on Friday and was subsequently dismissed.

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