If I were Click I would definitely be gauging the market. I imagine he won't have trouble finding a job. I think a lot of people can relate to not being appreciated at work, it sucks. He's a pragmatic person, and he made pragmatic choices, and he's at fault for doing so because most of the success wasn't "his guys". Most of the team the next few years won't be "his guys" either, so he's gonna get nothing but heat and it's pretty clear his boss doesn't care for him. His plans are already being overridden by a an 800 year old manager who probably would have started Dubon if he had his way. Even if he is good at his job (which we don't really know either way) we may never find out because he's not properly allowed to build his team like most GM's in 2022.
Luhnow's never coming back to the Stros. People need to let that one go. If Click's gone, he'll take a stab at David Stearns (former Astros AGM to Luhnow) or hopefully somebody splashy like Theo Epstein.
Re-sign: JV Vazquez Brantley Sign Abreu Give minor leaguers opportunities with the rest of the roster spots/injury replacements. Big question mark at utility infielder. Consider trading one of the starting pitchers for a big time centerfielder if the right deal comes along. But I fully support a 6 man rotation.
If he's going to move on from Click, its because he probably already has a commitment from somebody else.
I would be bold and not resign JV, too old and not dependable in the Playoffs. Use the money to find more impact bats.
But what about CF wages? It's still a premium position (even if not as premium as SS), and he has history with Dusty, and past experience there (though a while ago).
Dependability in the playoffs is kind of an unreasonable expectation. IMHO, the sample size is just too small for starting pitchers. Kershaw, probably the best regular season pitcher of the generation, is notably bad in the playoffs. The stakes get higher, season-long fatigue sets in and the teams remaining are better..... almost everyone gets worse.
Houston Astros Sign Julio Marte and Yefri Martinez, International Free Agents to Minor League Contracts - Sports Illustrated Inside The Astros Insert Pics of Javier and Abreu. Reloading.
I'm not sure what happened to Jose Abreus power numbers but I'm salivating at the thought of him in our lineup.
"Fire everyone we just got swept by the A's" What a lot of people were probably saying earlier in the regular season when the team was struggling.
It appears about 10 HRs converted to Doubles. That's not necessarily bad. Worse, but not bad. But it's better than converting to OUTS.
Talked to a friend this morning who spent a number of hours with Crane into early Sunday morning. Crane plans to bring back both Dusty and Click. Doesn’t see eye to eye with Click and had a “combative” relationship with him throughout the season. Crane was livid when the Brian Smith article came out ahead of the postseason. But even more interesting was that Click wanted to leave Gurriel off the playoff roster to force Mancini at first. Dusty fought back hard and Crane sided with keeping him on. Will Click opt to come back is a valid question particularly with his declining power in decision making.
I will be asking around but my guess is that the Astros will first attempt to sign Verlander so they know what they will be working with financially. Corner outfielder and 1st base have to be the areas the Astros will target. Yes, Brantley and Gurriel both could be back on smaller deals. However, I don't think they BOTH will be back. First base Dusty Baker is a fan of Josh Bell, and he is someone that the front office likes as well. He is likely to get less money than expected at the trade deadline because he was terrible the last few months of the season. Overall, he had a 3 WAR season but has been inconsistent. He is the type of player that could flirt with a 1.000 OPS or finish with one south of .700. He will likely want a longer-term deal but may take a bigger one-year deal so he can re-establish his value. He is likely financially in the area the Astros are willing to spend. Jose Abreu is a perfect fit for the Astros on and off the field. He is an older player and will not likely get a contract length that the Astros are not comfortable with. He also is a well above average hitter than doesn't have an ego and can hit anywhere from 3-8 in the line-up. The White Sox have his replacement ready in Vaughn, but the people in Chicago I have spoken to do not think he wants to leave Chicago and will resign and eventually retire as a White Sox player. Anthony Rizzo is a well-rounded player with power and is solid with the glove. The change in shift rules will also help him some. He can also hit anywhere in the order. He isn't likely to get a long-term deal. There are concerns about his back. The question is whether the Yankees want him back or not. He may not be exciting, but he would be an upgrade over Gurriel. I know that at the deadline the Astros were looking at guys that were not traditional first baseman to play there, and they were typically guys that could play left field and learn to play first. This type of move would be one made for value. Someone like Mitch Hanniger would fit this spot. He is limited athletically at this point and his eye wasn't as good this season, but he has more power than anyone on the Astros other than Alvarez. He could likely play first and left field. His upside is high, but the Astros would likely target him on a short term/high value deal. Miguel Sano is someone the Astros in the past liked. He has tremendous power and ability, but health and conditioning have been a real issue. I could see the Astros taking a flier on him on a one year. Evan Longoria. He is a solid veteran but not sure how much is in the tank. The Astros and Click were linked to him earlier this season. Left field Michael Conforto is the type of player the Astros are likely to target. Injuries have robbed him from getting the long term deal he was likely to get if he hadn't been injured. When he is healthy, he is an 850-950 middle of the lineup force that would look really good sandwiched between Bregman and Tucker in the lineup. He is also a true outfielder that would be solid at the corner. For the Astros to get him, they need a market to never really materialize and for him to want a higher value one season "prove it" contract so he can return to the market next year and try to get a big-time deal. Michael Brantley. The Astros missed him more than they expected they would. He doesn't hit for power anymore and his health has always been an issue, but he can still put the ball in play and move runners over. Because Alvarez is going to need to DH at least half the time, it limits the fit for the Astros. They could attempt to play both Brantley and Alvarez 150 games next year with them splitting DH and LF duties but there are real concerns if Brantley cannot DH a lot. Look for the Astros to try and bring Brantley OR Gurriel back next season. Wil Myers is another name I have heard linked to the Astros several times. He can probably play both a corner outfield spot for the Astros and some first base. His signing would mean that they struck out on other options.
This is consistent with what I have heard as well concerning the past between Click and Crane. I don't know this for sure, but I would guess there is part of Crane that hopes Click decides to leave on his own. Let's see the contract offered to Click as well. Both sides are doing a lot of posturing on this situation. As for Crane versus Click. As it turned out, Crane was right about Yuli being on the roster and was right about not over-paying for Contreras at the deadline. Crane has a lot of baseball people around him, and I am not sure Click will want to stick around. The major free agent decisions are going to be made by Crane after speaking to Click and Baker. At this point, it appears that Crane and Baker have hopped Click in making decisions. A lot of general managers would not tolerate this type of relationship. I also don't think Click appreciates how Baker handled questions about Contreras.
Crane has said in the past that he wants to trust his GM to make the right moves otherwise why bother paying one. He doesn’t have that relationship with Click. I can only guess that he chooses to keep him around because the system isn’t broken. They’re a dynasty and Click is a part of that. Also to be fair Crane didn’t hide in the corner when Lunhow was here either and interjected himself into deals multiple times.
What a weird front office situation for such a terrific team. Objectively, everyone has had their role and has done a decent enough job. Click with the Brian T Smith article doing himself no favors. The idea of him wanting to force Gurriel off the playoff roster is asinine. Thank god that didn't happen. Will be interesting to see what goes down.