Astros hire ex-Rays exec Click as GM
HOUSTON: The Houston Astros hired James Click as the club’s new general manager, team owner Jim Crane announced Monday.
Click, 42, most recently was the vice president of operations for the Rays from 2017-19, but he was with the Tampa Bay organisation for 14 years.
He joined the Rays in 2006 as coordinator of baseball operations, and other roles included director of baseball research and development, then director of baseball operations.
“James has had an impressive career,” Crane said in a statement.
“He is a respected leader who has progressed in this game across all aspects of baseball operations and he has built great relationships with both front office and clubhouse personnel. I am thrilled to introduce him as our new general manager — he is a great addition to the Astros.”
Click, who graduated from Yale with a degree in history, said in a statement: “I am excited to join the Astros family. The Astros are a progressive and innovative organisation with a deeply talented group in the front office. I am grateful to Jim Crane and the Astros for giving me this opportunity to help lead this team to more championships.”
The Astros hired Dusty Baker as manager to replace AJ Hinch, who was fired on Jan 13 in the wake of the team’s sign-stealing scandal, along with previous general manager Jeff Luhnow.
On the day he was fired, Luhnow released a statement saying that he accepted responsibility for the rules violations and issued an apology to the organisation and their fans, although he denied knowing rules were being broken at the time.