The Toronto Blue Jays could lose one of their top executives, James Click, to another American League ballclub.
Click, who works as the vice president of baseball strategy for Toronto, won the World Series in 2022 while being the general manager of the Houston Astros.
However, he left the Astros after the team lowballed him with a one-year contract offer, and he has been in Toronto since 2023, working underneath Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins in Toronto’s front office.
Now, four years after leaving Houston, it appears that Click might get another crack at a GM job in MLB, but not with the Blue Jays.
Athletics Looking at James Click
Click has emerged as a serious contender for the Athletics’ vacant GM opening, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“Former Houston Astros GM James Click, vice president of baseball strategy with the Toronto Blue Jays since 2023, has emerged as a serious candidate for the Athletics GM opening,” Nightengale wrote.
The Athletics parted ways with former general manager David Forst earlier this season after the team had a very disappointing year. Forst was with the Athletics for 27 years and was their GM for 11 years before he got canned by the ballclub ahead of their planned move to Las Vegas.
The A’s will be hiring another general manager this offseason to replace him, and it certainly looks like Click will get serious consideration for the job.
If the A’s do hire Click, Toronto will lose a valuable member of its front office. But the team will certainly be happy for him to get a well-deserved second chance at being an MLB GM.
James Click’s MLB Career
The 48-year-old Click graduated from Yale University in 2000, then later worked for the publication Baseball Prospectus.
He was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005 as an intern, promoted to their front office in 2006, and then became their vice president of baseball operations in 2017.
In 2020, the Astros hired Click as their GM, and he helped them win the World Series in 2022.
But after owner Jim Crane lowballed him, Click left Houston and was hired by the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays Could Lose Top Executive to AL Team’s Vacant GM Job