It has been a very odd week for former Houston Astros general manager James Click.
Back on November 5, he was on top of the baseball universe, the general manager of a World Series winning team. Then, just a few days later, Click was let go by the Astros after he and ownership could not agree on a new contract. He, understandably, was not interested in a one year deal while the Astros did not want to make a long term commitment.
Where will former Houston Astros GM James Click end up?
Chances are, Click will not be out of a job long. Teams are going to line up to bring him in to overhaul their front office and hopefully get them back to the World Series. If he wants to return to the game, he is going to have his pick of opportunities.
Most major league teams could use James Click in their front office. Let’s look at three teams that should be calling the former Houston Astros general manager.
Colorado Rockies
If ever there was a team in desperate need of a complete overhaul in the front office, it would be the Colorado Rockies.
They continue to believe that, if the ball had bounced differently, they would be right there, contending for a spot in the playoffs. This is the team that, despite being all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason for the past two years, refused to trade anyone at the deadline. And this is a team that refuses to look outside the organization for leadership roles, that constant delusion continuing since no one is there to question it.
The Rockies do have talent. Kris Bryant is a nice start for any team. Eziquel Tovar, Zac Veen, and Michael Toglia could be future centerpieces. Brendan Rodgers and Ryan McMahon are excellent defensively. And the pitching staff is not entirely devoid of major league capable arms.
This is also a team that needs someone to inject reality into the front office. It is a team that needs an actual plan that does not involve keeping everyone on their roster and pretending that one major move is enough. It is a team that really needs former Houston Astros GM James Cick.
The Colorado Rockies need a new voice and direction. James Click should be the free agent at the top of their shopping list.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals have made it clear that things are going to change.
Longtime executive Dayton Moore was fired after a second consecutive disappointing season where the end to the rebuilding process did not happen. Manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred were fired almost as soon as the final out was recorded. With those moves, the Royals decreed that they were looking to modernize their front office, become more analytically driven, and finally catch up with the times.
Bringing Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro in as their new manager is a step in that direction. Now it is a matter of finding people in the front office that can continue to push the Royals forward, bringing in the types of players they need to contend in what should be an improved division.
James Click would be another step in that direction. He had spent 15 years with the Rays before being named as the Houston Astros general manager following the AstroGate scandal. As the Rays are the type of organization that the Royals should aspire to become in regards to player development and finding the best bargains available. Click would be yet another major step in that direction.
The Kansas City Royals want to modernize their front office. Bringing James Click on board would help to do just that.
New York Yankees
25 years is a long time to be in any one job. In Major League Baseball, that is virtually unheard of.
But that is the case with the New York Yankees and Brian Cashman. He has been the Yankees general manager and senior vice president since 1998, an unprecedented run in those positions. Considering that the Yankees have won four championships and six AL pennants in that time while remaining a perennial contender, it is difficult to argue the results.
But it is fair to wonder if the Yankees need a different voice. They have not returned to the World Series since 2009, let alone won a championship, marking one of the longest stretches in franchise history. He simply has not been able to make the moves needed to bring a title back to New York.
It is time for Cashman to get a promotion and for a new person to put the roster together. James Click was able to get a title with the Houston Astros by building around their core and finding the right role players, something that the Yankees have struggled with. Bringing Click in could make a tremendous difference in that quest for another ring.
The New York Yankees need to make some changes. Bringing James Click on board would be a step in the right direction.