Click could have handled the end of this tenure more professionally, and I'm sure he has some regrets regarding his time here. However, a lot of that was Crane putting Click into very difficult positions through his interference. Had Crane been as passive as he was during Luhnow's tenure I think Click would still be here and we would all be far happier today with the state of the org. I don't blame Crane for firing Luhnow given what was at stake but I do blame him for how he handled Click.
The take away on Click: he built the bullpen Death Star that nearly sent the Astros undefeated through the entire playoffs to WS victory... one in which Altuve had no HRs and no RBIs...
How the hell did we only get a 4th round pick for losing Bregman, which was nullified, on top of losing a 2nd rounder by signing Walker. How is that possible?
I would not call anything an owner does as "interference" The owner makes the rules. Maybe it's not the smartest or best way to run an organization, but he paid for the right to do it. By all accounts, Click knew what was going to happen and what was expected of him, and apparently operated the team like Crane's actions were interference, when they were actually the expectation. He thought he was more important than Crane thought he was.
I'm Bregman related news, Rafael Devers continues to be a whiny little b****. Won't play 1B no matter how desperate his team is at the position while being a contending team. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45059014/rafael-devers-tells-red-sox-move-first-base
Yeah - Alex Bregman is having a very strong season, and I think he was expected to get a boost in Fenway. Still - Issac Paredes has quietly (as usually is the case) been very solid as well. He is on pace to be a 5-6 WAR player this year and he really hasn't gotten as hot as he can get. Paredes is also a lot younger and his K/BB rate is trending closer and closer to 1:1. I agree with you - the one that hurts a lot is Wilyer Abreu. He plays a position of need, he is young and under long term control. I knew he was one we screwed up when Brown targeted him this Winter in trade talks. What makes it worse is that he was traded for a player that the owner and manager did not want to trade for - one that the GM insisted on adding.
No - Click said he wanted a new catcher. The manager (Baker) and the pitchers and pitching coach said that they did not want to change starting catchers in the middle of the season, because the pitching was exceptional and the pitchers wanted continuity. Despite this, Click went and attempted to trade Urquidy and prospects for Wilson Contreras. The manager and pitching coach were upset and went to ownership. The pitching coach was well aware of the reputation of Contreras as a catcher and did not want the deal to go through. Click tried to then pivot and claim Contreras would play 1st base - which he did not want to do. As a result - the owner blocked the deal. After that happened - Click AGAIN attempted to get a catcher, and traded Abreu and others for Christian Vazquez. My understanding is that Vazquez was told he would end up the starter, and he was entering free agency. It wasn't anything against him - but the pitchers and managers wanted to roll with the catcher they had. Couple that with Click fighting to keep Gurriel off the playoff roster - and then Gurriel hitting well in the playoffs - and Click's goose was cooked. I think Click is a solid GM, and Crane did not like having his selection shoved down his throat by MLB - but Click also played a big part in his own demise, and his **** talking at the Winter meetings has likely cost him other GM jobs. As for Bregman and torpedo bats - I don't know if the Astros considered that in their decision on whether to keep him or not. What I do know is that he had overall tepid interest in the free agent market and the Sox offer at the last minute bailed him out - as the next best offers were nothing special. Besides, the Astros filled their 3rd base hole very well with Paredes, the issue has been at other positions - most notably 1st base, which has been ugly. Also - the Astros activity the Winter that Click left consisted of moves that the Astros already had planned out BEFORE Click left. They were going to target Abreu under Click if they failed to get Contreras. The resigning of Montero was also something Click had planned out. I certainly am not a Dusty Baker lover - but based on what happened with Contreras in St. Louis, it is possible - if not likely - it would have harmed our pitching that year in the playoffs and WS.
Crane had no choice but to fire Luhnow and Hinch. The Commish made it VERY clear when they met that it wasn't an option. The league was also very involved in who Crane could get to replace both of them. Click was a solid GM, but there were as many bad choices he wanted to make that Crane stepped in and stopped as there were good ones Click was stopped from making.
I've asked this question before... its been 3 years and Click still is not a GM of an MLB team. Nor is he really setting himself up to be one with whatever bullshit title he has in Toronto, with Shapiro still well in charge there despite the team not really doing all that hot. The Baseball Prospectus guys/gals (Click, Bloom, Ng) did have success... but knowing how "click-y" MLB ownership is, wouldn't surprise me if they don't get another wave of opportunities after each of their relative short-stints.
It would seem so. He's on a 10 year contract with 7 years left after the season. Not a bad AV though.
Click harmed himself a great deal with what he said and who he said it to at the Winter Meetings. Perhaps it shouldn't matter, but the reality is that the other owners don't want to hire someone that they think will trash them in the industry. I don't know this part, but I would not be surprised if Crane has also been open about his feelings on Click to other owners. The position of Click after the Astros situation was that he wanted to take a step back and spend more time with his family. I don't know if he thought that was posturing or if he was sincere - but that also likely did not endear him to billionaire owners. Assistant GM's can take some liberties with hours, but the actual GM usually is expected to be available 24/7. I would hire Click if I were a team like the Pirates or Rays or even middle market starting a rebuild because I think he is capable - but I would not pick him if I were a top 50% of teams with finances and other options.
I'm not really interested in what Bregman is up to these days. I keep clicking on this thread thinking he just got an injury or something, not that I wish that on him.
Rafael Devers is a weird one. First, the guy is very consistent with the bat and he has an advanced understanding of hitting. He has gotten better and better at taking pitches, walking and off setting a small decrease in bat speed. I don't have the numbers, but he doesn't catch up to the high heater as well as he did. With that type of skill set, he should be good enough to stay in the line up as long as he stays healthy. He isn't a guy that can hit 300 anymore and he isn't a guy that will hit 40 homers - but the increase in walks and strong doubles rate keeps him very productive. Second - he has a terrible body, he wasn't ever going to be Adois - but he hasn't taken care of his body to the degree that he should. He has to be 240-245 lbs. and is clearly under 6'0". It isn't all the weight though, because if you watch Jose Ramirez or even Isaac Paredes - they have fat and they have poor frames - but they are in shape, they are solid in their core. That isn't the case with Devers. I know a lot of people felt bad the Red Sox were taking him off the field on defense - but I don't blame them. Some guys past the age of 25 have to really work on their body to stay on the field, and Devers hasn't done. Third - His AAV isn't insane like you said, and I could even make an argument that if he was willing to play 1st base, that a team like the Astros could use him in a trade without a lot of meat going back to Boston - but his attitude doesn't seem all that great and he comes across as very entitled. There are no guarantees in baseball if you cannot field your position well and you are not even 30 years old. I cannot see him staying in Boston long term - but I also don't think he really has much value as a very good but not great bat that doesn't play the field well - has a bad body at 28 years old and is kind of a dick. It almost has to be a team that cannot add big name free agents like the Tigers, or it has to be a team like the Dodgers that can eat years of his contract if he doesn't pan out in a couple of years.
Greatest position players in team history have switched positions. Bagwell from 3B to 1B (granted that was to be on the roster instead of being in the minors). Biggio from catcher to 2b to OF and back. Berkman played every position of the OF and went back to the OF for the Cardinals. Altuve now. We saw both Bregman and Correa offer to change positions. I can see not wanting to move. Everybody has a preference, but I couldn't imagine sharing a locker room with somebody that flat out refused to try and help the team. He's like Roger Dorn or Stan Ross.
Berkman learning to play OF earlier in his career cost him his reputation defensively. Granted... I don't think it would have made a difference in his s HOF ballots.
