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As the Astros celebrated manager Dusty Baker’s contract extension in a formal press conference held Wednesday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, owner Jim Crane remained coy about the future of general manager James Click, whose contract expired Oct. 31. 

Click, who a day earlier could not provide clarity on his situation, remained in Las Vegas at MLB’s general managers’ meetings and was absent from Wednesday’s press conference. 

Crane said he and Click spoke Monday following the Astros’ championship parade before Click flew to Las Vegas and that discussions between the two men are ongoing. 

Both Baker and Click have been with the Astros since 2020, and this year oversaw a 106-win regular season and a World Series title. Asked what Click had done to not merit a contract extension at this point, Crane said Click was on the “same timeline as Dusty,” despite the fact that Baker’s future with the organization has been solidified while Click’s hangs in the balance. 

“We were quite busy with Saturday and then Sunday, a little rest, and then we had the big parade and (I) was able to sit down with James for a little while and he had to shoot off to the GMs meeting,” Crane said. “So we're in discussions and when he gets back we'll complete those discussions.” 

The Astros hired Click — previously a vice president of baseball operations with the Tampa Bay Rays — as general manager in February 2020 a week after hiring Baker, forming a tandem tasked with leading the club out of an era marred by a sign-stealing scandal. Since then, the Astros have advanced to the American League Championship Series three times, won two pennants, and captured the franchise’s second World Series title this year. 

Crane, asked how he evaluates Click’s performance over the past three seasons, said, “We're going over that, but you know, James has done a good job. He stepped in, made some good moves. We'll sit down and see where we're gonna end up with James.” 

Baker described his relationship with Click as “a good relationship.” 

“We've accomplished some good things together in a short period of time,” Baker said. “People (are) always looking for if there's some conflict or not getting along or whatever, but that's not the case.” 

He continued, “I mean, you come from two different places. Everybody in here comes from different places. But you know, the secret is to learn how to coexist in the workplace. And that's what makes a successful formula.” 

Crane did not go into specifics when asked whether he thought areas of the organization had improved under Click’s leadership. 

“I'm never satisfied,” Crane said. “If I was satisfied, maybe we wouldn't be where we are. But I press everybody to get better, from top to bottom, and I'm always ... you can ask anybody in here. I'll pat you on the back. We're gonna pat everybody on the back and have a great you know, everybody get a nice bonus this year, but guess what? We've got to come back next year, so I'm always looking to improve. I can improve, the people on my team can improve and the players can improve. So the standard is there for everyone.”  

In the middle of the 2018 season, Crane extended the contract of former general manager Jeff Luhnow — who was later fired over the sign-stealing scheme — through 2023. Both Baker and Click operated this year on expiring contracts. 

Baker is returning to the Astros next season on a one-year deal. On Wednesday, Crane would not commit to whether he would offer Click a lengthier contract, if the general manager is given an extension at all. 

Crane said he doesn’t necessarily prefer to structure front-office contracts as short-term deals, before pointing to designated hitter/ outfielder Yordan Alvarez’s six-year extension as an example of a long-term contract he engineered. 

“We're pretty disciplined. I wouldn't say that we'd do one thing one way or another,” Crane said. “Every year, every time it's different. And you know, we've made some longer-term commitments, we've made shorter-term commitments — it really depends on the situation and what you need at the time and what's available. So there's so many variables there, it's really hard to say.  

Danielle Lerner covers the Rockets, Astros and a variety of sports for the Houston Chronicle. She previously covered college basketball for The Daily Memphian, The Athletic and the Louisville Courier Journal. A true utility player, she has also written about professional soccer, horse racing, college football and college baseball. Her work has been honored by APSE and SPJ. A native Californian, Lerner spends her free time being active outdoors and exploring Houston's taco scene.