Click: Talks with Astros ongoing, no new deal yet

LAS VEGAS -- World Series-winning wide manager James Click said Tuesday helium is successful talks with the Houston Astros connected a caller declaration but has not yet travel to an statement with the organization, leaving the designer of baseball's champion successful limbo arsenic the offseason begins.

Click's declaration expired Oct. 31, during the World Series successful which the Astros bushed the Philadelphia Phillies successful six games. He refuted a USA Today study that said helium had agreed to a one-year deal, telling reporters: "We are having discussions close now. I deliberation anytime that you're having discussions it means that it's not complete."

Click said helium discussed a imaginable declaration with Astros proprietor Jim Crane connected Monday successful the hours betwixt the team's title parade and his formation present for the yearly General Managers Meetings. The Astros called a property league for Wednesday afternoon, which Click said helium recovered retired astir "recently" aft the squad announced it, during which they're expected to denote a declaration hold for manager Dusty Baker. When asked if Click planned to beryllium a portion of the property conference, helium said: "I americium readying to beryllium present trying to enactment unneurotic the squad for adjacent year."

Click, 44, joined the Astros aft they fired wide manager Jeff Luhnow successful 2020 pursuing revelations that their 2017 title squad engaged successful a sign-stealing scheme. In his archetypal GM job, Click inherited a talented squad that was teetering successful the aftermath of the ungraded and helped stabilize the Astros, who declined remark done a spokesperson erstwhile reached by ESPN.

Philosophical differences betwixt him and Crane near aggregate Astros front-office employees acrophobic astir whether Click would return, sources told ESPN. Despite a World Series quality successful 2021, Click entered this play arsenic a lame duck. Crane has leaned progressively connected advisors Jeff Bagwell and Reggie Jackson, some Hall of Fame players, according to sources. At the commercialized deadline this year, ESPN reported earlier this week, Crane spiked an agreed-upon commercialized that would person landed the Astros catcher Willson Contreras from the Chicago Cubs for right-handed starter Jose Urquidy.

"We're different," Click said. "Jim is -- well, look, fto maine clarify. There's immoderate things that we bash precise differently. There's immoderate things that we are precise lined up connected and that's gonna beryllium existent of immoderate narration betwixt a brag and an employee. I deliberation helium likes to enactment precise quickly. In definite cases, I thin toward a much deliberate approach. He is precise demanding, but helium besides gives you the resources to execute what helium tasks you to do."

Click said helium was not nether the content that Wednesday's property league would service arsenic a deadline for him negotiating a caller contract. His aged deal, helium said, converted into at-will employment status, allowing him to permission the Astros' occupation for different team. Click said helium would similar the concern not devolve into that.

"I'm optimistic," helium said. "My household is precise blessed successful Houston. We've settled in. I truly emotion the town. The diverseness is amazing. I thought honestly during the parade, 1 of the astir standout things to maine was conscionable the crowd, and it shows conscionable what a planetary metropolis Houston is and the civilization that it has. It was connected afloat display. The enactment that the municipality has, I've ne'er been a portion of thing similar that. It was addictive. And my woman and I are really, truly blessed that our kids are happy. We consciousness precise settled. I'm truly hopeful to beryllium back."

Rarely bash World Series-winning wide managers not instrumentality successful the aftermath of their victories. And adjacent much seldom bash they permission of their ain volition. Former Astros adjunct GM David Stearns stepped down from his relation arsenic president of shot operations with the Milwaukee Brewers successful precocious October, and though helium remains nether declaration with the team, helium is an exception. Perhaps the closest analog to Click, if helium can't travel to an agreement, would beryllium Alex Anthopoulos, the longtime Toronto Blue Jays GM who near the enactment aft it hired Mark Shapiro arsenic squad president.

"The accidental to enactment with the radical successful the Astros organization," Click said, "the accidental to beryllium portion of that civilization successful that clubhouse to beryllium astir the players, the caliber of players that we have, is astir intolerable to find. ... In immoderate occupation there's going to beryllium things that are bully and there's gonna beryllium things that are bad. You conscionable person to instrumentality it each connected balance."

Click declined to accidental what helium was seeking successful a contract, whether it was aggregate years oregon much autonomy implicit baseball-operations decisions. Running a squad with Crane's engagement is an acquisition dissimilar his lone different occupation successful baseball, with the Tampa Bay Rays, whose owner, Stu Sternberg, is acold much hands-off.

"I lone person 1 different proprietor to comparison it to," Click said, "and it's a small antithetic than that guy."

The uncertainty didn't look to faze Click, who joined his contemporaries during a media league astatine Resorts World Las Vegas, wherever the GM Meetings are being held earlier escaped bureau starts successful earnest Thursday. Until then, escaped agents are lone allowed to re-sign with their existent teams.

The Astros volition person plentifulness to bash this winter, with ace Justin Verlander, archetypal baseman Yuli Gurriel and outfielder Michael Brantley among their escaped agents. Though the Astros would invited Verlander back, Click said, the soon-to-be-40-year-old, who is expected to triumph the American League Cy Young Award, volition beryllium coveted among contending teams.

Whether Click volition beryllium astir to adjacent prosecute Verlander remains successful question. But coming disconnected Saturday's title and the ensuing celebrations, Click came to Las Vegas with a program careless of his employment status. "I'm connected a blistery streak," helium said. "Figure I'll spell deed the tables."