What the Fuck is Going on in the Houston Astros Front Office?

The Houston Astros won the World Series and thankfully in 2022, no one gives a shit about baseball on a national level anymore so we were waterboarded to death with Astros tributes and all that garbage.

But baseball falling out of national coverage also benefited Houston in a way because no one seems to be talking about a team winning a World Series and then immediately firing their general manager, James Click (along with assistant GM Scott Powers).

Click was hired in 2020 after former GM, Jeff Luhnow was suspended by Major League Baseball for allowing this team to cheat. Again, fuck the Astros.

Here’s what Astros owner, Jim Crane, said about Click:

“We have had great success in each of his three seasons, and James has been an important part of that success,” Crane continued. “I want to personally thank him and wish him and his family well moving forward.”

Love Crane taking the high road after clearly giving Click a lowball offer and then rescinding the contract when Click didn’t sign it fast enough. That’s a championship-level owner somehow.

Here’s what former Astros first baseman, Jeff Bagwell, said about Click:

“Personally, for me, I just think there are certain things that go on that the numbers can’t explain, because this game is played by humans, man — it’s not played by computers,” Bagwell said.

“And there’s a lot of things that go on. Stuff goes on in the locker room, on the field, at home. A lot of things that can happen throughout a year that means something, that affects players in certain ways, and being able to know that — and that’s what makes Dusty [Baker] so great, is he knows his players on and off the field. It makes it a lot easier for him to manage because he has the communication with the guys and understands them.”

What is happening?

The Astros became a perennial World Series favorite because they had a better analytics department than anyone else in the Majors. They had updated state-of-the-art technology no other organization was even privy to.

They also cheated. BUT, outside of the cheating, they were the most advanced franchise in the sport. And now they are shitting on the overall idea of numbers and that the game is about people or whatever.

And if you’re wondering why I quoted JEFF BAGWELL then yea, that’s also part of how weird this Astros team is.

Here is Bagwell explaining why the Astros signed former MVP Jose Abreu:

Jeff Bagwell, who helped recruit José Abreu: “He was our #1 target. He made the most sense for our ball club. People can look around. There’s obviously Aaron Judge and whole bunch of starting pitchers, but what we needed was Jose Abreu. So he was our number one choice.” pic.twitter.com/tYL2KLGUQC

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) November 29, 2022

According to MLB.com, Jeff Bagwell is the ‘community outreach manager’. I have no idea what the means. It sounds like he’s the guy who decides like, which day of the which is free bobblehead night.

Apparently, Bagwell and Jim Crane have become close friends and they’re just out here making personnel decisions together while the team still has no GM. How is this the team that keeps winning every year? The owner and the 1991 Rookie of the Year are making odd decisions and saying how math is for nerds and shit.

Jeff Bagwell is a genius for not actually wanting the GM job because he knows he has more power sitting directly next to Crane instead of a GM’s office on the floor below.

Somehow, Houston is going to be the favorites to win the championship again and Bagwell is going to be the co-owner, GM, head scout, manager and DH.