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Today multiple news sources are reporting that
Bob Nightengale @BNightengale Houston #Astros owner Jim Crane spoke with manager Dusty Baker and GM James Click on Monday and plans to formally extend each of them a contract for the 2023 season in quest for back-to-back World Series titles.
I knew we would get news almost immediately as described in yesterday's article. However, I did not factor in the PR and theatre part of this equation.
Here was my immediate take on Twitter
We shall see if Click takes a ONE YEAR deal. My guess is that this is just theatre and they both know who the next GM is.
This probably mean Click represents them in Las Vegas but in next two weeks we get the real GM.
WHY would I say this? I have said repeatedly I thought the CLICK WOULD TELL THE ASTROS NO. Click based on the frustrations I described in yesterday's article would be the one to tell the team he wanted to go to a more functional situation. One where he is the manager's boss and not the other way around.
The one year offer to Dusty is fine for him. He only wants one more run.
A one year offer to James Click is a slap in the face. Crane KNOWS Click - IF Click has a better option or thinks he will - will not take this offer, and THEN Jim Crane will hire who he really wants. IF Click does not think he has another viable opportunity he will call Crane's bluff and take the offer.
I am adding this at 10:21PM
Crane DOES NOT WANT Click to take this offer. I am convinced of that. He wants Click to turn it down so he is free to get who he has wanted all along. The fact that he is offering Dusty and having a press conference and Click does not even know about the press conference tells us EVERYTHING we need to know. Click might be so upset with Crane that he takes the one year deal and makes it an audition to be a GM somewhere less dysfunctional.
This is sports management political theatre. Trust me. Stay with me. It's the off-season- I got you.
Updates as it plays out.
Multiple people asked on Tuesday how Click can be representing this team in Las Vegas without a contract. Well, Cashman is there for the Yankees with the same circumstance. I agree that it is not a good business practice for the Astros to do this. From Click's perspective what better place is there to be to get a new job?
Passan does a really good job here in describing the situation.
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