World Series Champion Astros Announce Surprising Sudden Departure

Houston Astros general manager James Click will not return to the team in 2023, owner and chairman Jim Crane announced in a news release shared on Friday (November 11).

Crane confirmed the team would "not enter into a renewal for the 2023 season" with Click, just days after the franchise won its second World Series title in six years.

"We are grateful for all of James' contributions," Crane said in the statement re-shared by MLB reporter Mark Feinsand. "We have had great success in each of his three seasons, and James has been an important part of that success. I want to personally thank him and wish him and his family well moving forward."

Click, 44, was hired by the Astros in 2020 following the departure of Jeff Luhnow who fired by the team and subsequently suspended for one year by Major League Baseball in relation to the team's sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Houston appeared in the American League Championship Series during each of Click's three seasons and made World Series appearances in each of the last two seasons, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games earlier this month.

However, reports indicated that Click wouldn't be retained had the Astros been eliminated early during the postseason and was only offered a one-year deal once the team won the World Series, which led to failed negotiations, according to CBS Sports.