Looming trade deadline brings challenges
Moves could have bigger effect amid virus as Click readies for first as general manager
SAN DIEGO — Another first is fast approaching for James Click, the Astros’ rookie general manager enduring an inaugural season unlike any other. He inherited a club clouded in controversy, guided it through a four-month shutdown and now the shortest season in modern history.
Injuries have ravaged a roster that still maintains World Series aspirations. Whether the sport even reaches the postseason amid the pandemic remains a legitimate question. Yet, in 10 days, one of baseball’s annual rites will arrive. The Aug. 31 trade deadline affords both competitive and ethical questions. Click must confront them all — now as the final decision-maker.
“It’s just moving to a different seat at the table for me,” said Click, formerly a 14-year member of the Tampa Bay Rays front office. “But the room itself I expect is going to be very similar to my experiences.”
Most of Click’s lieutenants are holdovers from Jeff Luhnow’s regime. They assisted with franchise-altering deals for Justin Verlander in 2017 and Zack Greinke in 2019. Such seismic moves seem unlikely in 2020, a year shrouded with uncertainty.
On Friday, Click said the market is “shaping up slowly,” a consequence of many teams wrestling with the concept of acquiring a player and asking him to uproot life in the middle of a pandemic.
“It’s definitely something that has come up, and it’s not just us,” Click said. “Every team is dealing with it. We’re all cognizant of how much the disruption is magnified, given everything else that’s going on. It would be almost inhumane not to have it check you up a little bit when you are trying to decide how to improve your team. It has to be weighed against everything else we’re dealing with.”
Uncertainty about the season’s long-term viability is apparent. Miami and St. Louis already dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks. The New York Mets’ season is now stalled because of positive cases. Friday marked the 26th straight day without all 30 big league teams playing.
Deciding whether to mortgage some of the future for an uncertain present is a confounding dilemma for Click. He said many clubs are staying coy and not divulging many absolutes about their deadline tactics until the Aug. 31 draws closer.
“Teams are waiting until the deadline and being patient,” Click said.
The Astros entered Friday’s series-opener against the Padres without any COVID-19-caused delays and a spot in the expanded, 16-team postseason. An eightgame winning streak pushed their record to 15-10 — somewhat remarkable given their inundation of injuries.
Verlander and closer Roberto Osuna are on the injured list with elbow problems. Reigning American League Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez will undergo season-ending knee surgery next week. Alex Bregman’s hamstring strain will sideline him for at least nine days — and maybe longer. Michael Brantley has a nagging quad injury but could be activated from the injured list Saturday.
“It’s impossible to replace a Verlander, a Bregman, a Yordan Alvarez,” Click said. “You’re not going to replace those players. You may bring in guys that are able to help out and maybe fill in as other players step up. But if we’re going to be successful this season, it’s going to have to be the guys that are on this roster currently stepping up and taking the slack until those guys can get back, if they can get back.”
The status of both Verlander and Osuna may dictate some of Click’s discussion. In July, two people with knowledge of the situation told the Chronicle that Verlander will not return this season. Owner Jim Crane told USA Today that Tommy John surgery at least was a possibility. KRIV-TV reported that Osuna received an opinion on Tommy John surgery, too.
The team has not ruled either out for the season. Verlander has resumed playing catch from flat ground. According to Click, Verlander has not experienced any pain. Many hurdles remain for his potential return, with little time to accomplish it.
“We have to keep open the possibility that there could be a hiccup down the road,” Click said. “If anyone is going to be able to muster the ability to come back from this thing and provide us with something down the road, it’s Justin Verlander.”
The starting rotation has stabilized in Verlander’s absence. Greinke has a 1.84 ERA after five starts. Brandon Bielak and Framber Valdez both possess sub-two ERAs, too, but questions remain about the sustainability of this success.
Similar concerns exist in the bullpen. The nine-man relief corps consists of seven rookies, some of whom are having incredible debut seasons. Blake Taylor and Enoli Paredes have proven capable in high-leverage spots.
“These kids have stepped up (and) they’ve given us every reason to believe they can continue to do this, but we’re not blind to the fact that there are a lot of players on this team in roles they’ve never been in before,” Click said. “We need to make sure we won’t assume that things will continue to go well when they’re going well, just like we don’t assume they’ll go badly when they’re going badly.”
Teams are only able to trade players from within their 60-man player pool. By Baseball America’s rankings, the Astros have seven of their top 20 prospects in their pool. The same magazine ranks Houston’s farm system 29th of 30 teams. Click has preached sustainability since taking this job.
Though Click doesn’t put much stock in rankings from an outside publication, the perception further illustrates the crossroads he will encounter this winter and again in 2021.
“We’ll obviously try to keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future, but the good thing about the organization right now is that it has a major league roster that is ready to compete for a championship,” Click said, “and it’s not obvious that we should start taking away form that to build up the farm system. We’re going to have to walk and chew gum at the same time.”