BETTER ON PAPER
GM James Click made his team better at deadline without mortgaging the future
Based on balance, GM James Click is a winner at the trade deadline.
Craig Kimbrel is not an Astro. Max Scherzer is not an Astro. Kris Bryant is not an Astro. Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber are not Astros.
And I still believe that general manager James Click did a good job for the Astros at the trade deadline.
But it’s still understandable if you’re questioning (or screaming about) whether Click did enough.
This isn’t easy, you know? Competing for World Series titles year after year after year in modern Major League Baseball.
Still being one of the best teams in MLB after George Springer, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, Will Harris, Dallas Keuchel, Josh Reddick, Marwin Gonzalez and many more have moved on from the local orange and blue.
Entering the trade deadline with the best record in the American League and secondbest mark in MLB … and exiting the trade deadline with Fall Classic potential in 2022 and beyond.
This always was going to be the test for the rebuilt Astros: Receive a ticket to as many Octobers as possible, while having a serious shot to win it all every year for as long as possible without having to go through the pain of rebuilding again.
That annual balance was part of the initial plan when owner Jim Crane turned everything over to then-GM Jeff Luhnow in 2011.
The 2021 trade deadline was one more reminder of the dueling sides of the big-city, midmarket Astros under Crane.
They are not the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are not the New York Yankees.
They also are not the Chicago Cubs or the Washington Nationals, who ultimately answered long-dreamed-of World Series championships with massive selloffs before Friday’s deadline.
I asked this question two weeks ago in this newspaper: “What is second-year general manager James Click willing to sacrifice as he balances late July through October with the 2021 offseason and beyond?”
We received the answer Friday.
Trying to win it all again is a balance for these Astros. And that balance factored in to manager Dusty Baker receiving four new relievers while the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Yankees and Dodgers added future Hall of Famers, All-Stars and much bigger names.
Click’s old team, the marketchallenged Tampa Bay Rays, also added a bigger name than the Astros did.
The Astros got better on paper.
The Astros also might have fallen behind in the flashy zerosum game.
Did Click believe that the organization had done enough in late July to set up Baker and Co. for a long and successful run this October?
“I do,” Click said. “Coming into this deadline we felt very, very good about our offense and we felt very good about our starting pitching, and I think that Ryan Pressly has been one of the best relievers in the game. … We felt like the area that we needed to address was the middle of that bullpen.”
Click finally addressed the one weak link that still could ruin everything this October. After spending four months being forced to choose between an All-Star closer and everyone else, Baker now has Kendall Graveman, Rafael Montero, Yimi Garcia and Phil Maton on his remade list of relief names.
But the Astros were also conservative. Smart. Prudent. Wise. Boring.
Balanced.
“Looking around the roster, (the bullpen) was the area that we felt like that needed the most attention and also could get the most attention without sacrificing the long-term goals of the franchise,” Click said. “We feel a lot better about our ability to bridge from the starting pitching back to Ryan Pressly. If our offense continues to perform at the level that it has, if our starting pitching continues to perform at the level that it has, I think we have put together a roster that should be very, very capable of competing for a
World Series championship.” I agree with that.
There will also be thousands of instant second-guessers if these Astros fall short again and their lone Fall Classic trophy continues to be the 2017 version with a sign-stealing scandal attached to all the shining flags.
If you’re already complaining that Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers can’t replace Myles Straw in center field, you might want to remember that Straw isn’t Springer and Straw wasn’t going to be the reason the Astros won it all for the second time.
Click kept rubbing his eyes and face Friday afternoon, reminding us that this MLB GM thing isn’t easy and is much tougher than it looks on social media.
Was he ready to begin a postdeadline Zoom interview?
“No,” Click said. “But let’s just go.”
That made me smile.
It was honest, real and refreshing. Like watching a 10-part Netflix documentary about the Astros in real time.
The 2021 Astros were good enough to win the World Series again in mid-June, and they’re a better team now. When the bats are cracking, they can be as
dangerous as they were in 201719, even without a true ace. MLB
also lacks a dominant club this season.
It always take a little luck in October.
To keep returning to the playoffs year after year after year, you must keep balancing everything.
Especially if you’re the Astros.