James Click Out As Houston Astros’ GM Six Days After Winning World Series

Six days after lifting the World Series trophy, James Click is out of a job.

The Houston Astros announced Friday that their general manager will not have his contract renewed. In what is in essence a firing came after the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games in the World Series, which concluded last Saturday.

This marks the first time a GM of a World Series-winning team will not have a chance to return the following season to defend the title in 75 years.

The New York Yankees fired Larry MacPhail after winning the Fall Classic in 1947. MacPhail went on a drunken rant during the Yankees’ clubhouse celebration and charged a reporter before being restrained. He was jettisoned shortly thereafter.

Click’s contract expired Oct. 31 but he represented the Astros at this week’s General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas.

The Astros hired Click as GM in 2020 after Jeff Luhnow was fired in the wake of the franchise’s sign-stealing scandal. Click had been a long-time member of the Tampa Bay Rays’ front office.

Houston reached the American League Championship Series during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Astros then lost to the Atlanta Braves in last year’s World Series before winning it this year.

Reports persisted throughout the past season that there was friction between owner Jim Crane and Click. Crane is admittedly one of the most hands-on owners in Major League Baseball and Click was said to be feeling overly restricted in his ability to do his job.

Click was asked by reporters Tuesday about the autonomy of his job and gave an indirect answer.

“All of us always want to have areas of responsibility in areas that we can call our own, in areas that we can take pride in,” Click said. “Inevitably in any of these jobs, these decisions are multimillion-dollar decisions, and ownership is going to be involved. It’s just a question of degree.”