BIG DECISIONS LOOMING
Houston Astros philosophical differences have put the owner in a tough spot
Sep 15, 2022, 5:25 pm
Will Dusty Baker and Astros GM James Click be back next season? Composite image by Brandon Strange.
It appears that Astros owner Jim Crane has some decisions, really one, to make. Manager Dusty Baker’s contract is up at the end of this season. So is general manager James Click’s contract.
Baker and Click don’t seem to see eye to eye on how this team is supposed to run. Baker is old school and flies by the seat of his pants. He trusts his gut. Click is new school analytics. Numbers don’t lie. (Except they do, of course.)
We don’t know if either one is telling Crane, “Make up your mind. It’s either him or me, one of us has to go.” How’d that work out for Kevin Durant? The Astros possibilities are not endless. Either both Click and Baker stay, one or the other leaves, or they both leave.
If it does come down to one stays and one goes: who ya got?
But that’s for after this season ends. The Astros are in first place in the American League West by miles and near clinching home field advantage through the AL playoffs. The over/under for total Astros wins in 2022 was 92.5 before the season started. They’ve beaten that with weeks left on the schedule.
Who deserves the credit for the Astros amazing success since Click and Baker took over the Astros in 2020. Is it Click’s bottom line decision making or Baker’s calming influence in the clubhouse and quirky decisions on the field?
Baker is the more recognizable of the two. We see him in the dugout, in full MLB combat gear, making mincemeat of a toothpick. Baker explains his sometimes unexplainable decisions after every game. Click looks like a discount tax accountant near the front door of a Walmart. He wouldn’t say nothing if he had a mouthful of it.
It probably won’t matter if the Astros win the World Series this year. I’m thinking it’s going to be one or the other going. Baker is 73 years old, already one of the oldest managers in MLB history. Click is 44, considered one of the brightest minds in baseball, with other teams lusting after his services.
This week, sports columnist Ken Rosenthal wrote an open letter to Chicago White Sox manager Tony LaRussa, age 77, essentially saying, “you need to quit.”
Perhaps that letter should have contained “cc: Dusty Baker.”
Of course, the big difference is, LaRussa has a confrontational relationship with some of his players, plus he’s an ass. Baker is supported by the Astros players, plus he’s lovable. More important, the Astros are a juggernaut lapping the league with an owner obsessed with winning. It doesn’t seem to matter that the Astros lose key players, like Carlos Correa, Gerrit Cole and George Springer, to higher-priced bidders. The machine just reloads and heads toward the playoffs with newer and less expensive players. To the naked eye, the Astros are a model franchise, despite percolating turmoil behind the scenes.
A natural observation would be, why fix something that clearly isn’t broke? Why can’t Click and Baker just get along while the getting is good?
It doesn’t work that way. Success doesn’t keep people together. The Beatles broke up while being the biggest act in entertainment history. The Florida/Miami Marlins busted up their team after winning the World Series – twice. Who didn’t think that Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson were perfectly matched lovebirds forever?
Are the Astros piling up wins because of Baker … or despite him?
Click is tight-lipped about his relationship with Baker, but it’s easy to imagine that he, like cranky fans on Twitter, is frustrated by Baker’s constantly changing lineups and batting orders. Sometimes it’s like Baker throws nine names into a Yahtzee cup, shakes it up, and however the names come spilling out, that’s tonight’s batting order.
Click reportedly isn’t happy with which players play and which players sit. Remember, the Astros hired Baker as manager before they hired Click as general manager. Click did not pick Baker as his manager.
This week, Baker explained to the media that Yordan Alvarez was going to miss a game because of his hand injury. Alvarez, in a rare and possibly significant move, especially for a young player, gathered the media to say, “huh?”
Until season end, Crane is like the dad driving and Baker and Click are his kids fighting in the backseat. “Don’t make me come back there!”
My guess: after the World Series parade in downtown Houston, Crane will call Dusty into his office and cold-heartedly explain what needs to be done. You know, like when Michael Corleone sent Tom Hagen to convince Frank Pentangili what needed to be done in Godfather II.
Baker retires in a blaze of glory, stays on as Crane’s “special assistant,” and Click gets to pick his manager this time. And the Astros continue to dominate the American League happily ever after.
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The Chicago Cubs acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros on Friday, paying a big price for one of baseball's best hitters.
The Cubs sent third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith, one of their top infield prospects, to the Astros for Tucker, who is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
Be sure to watch the video below as the crew from Stone Cold 'Stros reacts to the trade and lays out what the future holds for the new-look Astros.
Tucker was limited to 78 games this year because of a fractured right shin, but he hit .289 with 23 homers and 49 RBIs for the AL West champions. He batted .284 with 29 homers, an AL-best 112 RBIs and 30 steals for Houston in 2023.
Tucker, who turns 28 on Jan. 17, joins a crowded situation in Chicago's outfield, but the Cubs are reportedly looking to trade Cody Bellinger, who also can play first base. They also have talked to Seiya Suzuki's agent about the outfielder's no-trade clause.
The Cubs have finished second in the NL Central with an 83-79 record in each of the past two years, and there is increased pressure on president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to get the team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Cubs announced later in the day that they had agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year contract with catcher Carson Kelly, a Chicago native. He played for Detroit and Texas this year, batting .238 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 91 games.
The New York Yankees also were in the mix for Tucker before the trade was completed.
“We certainly had many conversations with the Astros.” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “At the end of the day I’m glad that Mr. Tucker is not in the American League East or the American League at all. But it’s a big get for the Chicago Cubs.”
Paredes is an option for Houston at third base if Alex Bregman departs in free agency. The 25-year-old Paredes hit .238 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs in 153 games this year. He made the AL All-Star team with Tampa Bay and then was traded to Chicago in July.
Paredes, who bats from the right side and is known for his pull power, chuckled as he talked about taking aim at the Crawford Boxes in left field at Minute Maid Park.
“I feel very happy. It's not only a beautiful stadium, but it's a stadium that benefits my hitting,” he said through a translator.
Even with the acquisition of Paredes, who also can play first, Astros general manager Dana Brown did not close the door on a reunion with Bregman.
“Pretty much Alex Bregman's status is still the way it is,” Brown said. “Nothing has changed since the last time I've talked to you guys.”
Wesneski, a Houston native who played college ball for Sam Houston State, will compete for a spot in the Astros’ rotation.
The right-hander, who turned 27 on Dec. 5, went 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA over 21 relief appearances and seven starts this year. He was on the injured list from July 20 to Sept. 20 with a right forearm strain.
“It’s just a dream-come-true kind of thing,” Wesneski said. “I am excited to be an Astro.”
Houston is hoping the addition of Paredes and Wesneski will help the team continue its impressive run as one of baseball's best teams. It has made the playoffs for eight straight years, winning the World Series in 2017 and 2022. It was swept by Detroit in the wild-card round this year.
“Look, make no mistake. We're still going to compete,” Brown said, “and this is probably one of those moves that I think in the future people will see and understand like, yeah, wow, I understand it now, I get it. ... I would say that this is more to strengthen our opportunities down the road without losing any footage in the current year.”
While Paredes and Wesneski could have an immediate impact, Smith also was a key component of the deal.
Smith, 21, was selected by Chicago with the No. 14 pick in this year's draft out of Florida State University. He hit .313 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 32 games over three minor league stops, finishing the year with Double-A Knoxville.
“It's a really good first-round college bat with power, with a chance to hit, and he's pretty athletic as well,” Brown said. “So we're really excited about Cam Smith.”
Tucker was Houston's first-round pick in 2015, taken No. 5 overall. He made his big league debut with the Astros in 2018.
Tucker had a breakout performance three years after his debut, hitting a career-best .294 with 30 homers and 92 RBIs in 140 games in 2021. He won a Gold Glove the following year.
The Tampa, Florida, native is a .274 hitter with 125 homers, 417 RBIs and an .869 OPS in 633 career games — all with Houston. He also has appeared in 64 postseason games, batting .229 with eight homers and 28 RBIs.
Kelly gets $5 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal with Chicago includes a $7.5 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout. He can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses during each of the three seasons; $250,000 each for 81 and 91 games started.
The Cubs were in need of more depth behind the plate. They also have Miguel Amaya, who played in a career-high 117 games this year, and Matt Thaiss, who was acquired in a trade with the Angels on Nov. 20.