It's Official: Dusty Baker Is Back In Houston; The GM? Still "Up In The Air"

Will the Houston Astros be "running it back next season"? They'll certainly give it a shot, and with their official news conference today announcing that manager Dusty Baker will be back in the dugout in 2023, those repeat plans are in motion. 

But the man who helped assemble the team, general manager James Click? His future is still up in the air. 

#Astros formally announce Dusty Baker's return on a one-year contract.

Jim Crane made the announcement.

James Click's name does not appear in the news release. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 9, 2022

Astros owner Jim Crane tried to evade questions about the future of Click, only saying that he was "in discussions" with the World Series-winning GM.

"James has done a good job," Crane said. "He's stepped in, made some good moves. We'll sit down and see where we're going to end up with James."

Click's contract expired on Oct. 31st, and "conflict within the organization on baseball operations decision-making persisted throughout the season" according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. 

One of those "conflicts" apparently came at the trade deadline, when Click agreed on a deal with the Chicago Cubs to bring in offensive catcher Willson Contreras in exchange for pitcher Jose Urquidy. But owner Crane put the kibosh on the deal, at the behest of manager Dusty Baker.

Whether that is one of the main reasons for the hesitancy with Click is unknown at this time. But it's an interesting dynamic to follow in the coming days. 

Photo: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports