One Mistake Astros Owner Made That Cost Sustained Dynasty

The Houston Astros didn't suddenly fall from grace. They were slowly pulled away from it.

Since winning the 2022 World Series championship, Houston appeared to be in the driver's seat of a long and prosperous dynasty. That wasn't the case, however, as the results tell part of the story: a missed opportunity in 2023, a slight regression in 2024, and a collapse down the stretch in 2025 in embarrassing fashion.

Write Their Wrongs

Now three games into the 2026 regular season, and question marks still remain on whether or not the Astros will make it back to playing in October again. Right now, they are 1-2, as they lost the first two games against the lowly Los Angeles Angels due to a lack of scoring in the clutch, only to then have the offense wake up to scoring 11 unanswered runs in game three, securing their first win on the young season.

On paper, Houston is more than capable of building a championship contender. The roster consists of young players and veterans, each of them with multiple All-Star selections and extensive playoff experience, followed by a rotation ace in Hunter Brown who placed third in Cy Young voting last season. They should still have the tools in place to be a threat in the West. The postseason window should still be open. Fans and media should believe Houston is a top 10 team.

However, recency bias exists. It's arguable the Astros are underperforming, given their talented roster. Since the last World Series run in 2022, something changed in the Astros front office and it shrank their playoff window. But the Astros gradual decline isn't random. It traces back to owner Jim Crane's decision making, specifically rejecting a decision that then general manager James Click wanted.

How It All Started

james click, astros — Houston Astros general manager James Click walks on the field. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

But let's back up a bit. Following the sign-stealing scandal punishments, Crane went on to hire Click after firing then general manager Jeff Luhnow. Click came from leading the Tampa Bay Rays front office, a team that began a period of consistent playoff success from 2019-2023 after promoting Click to vice president of baseball operations in 2017. Under Click, the Rays catapulted to a playoff contender after just one year in 2019, making the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Click formed the blueprint of Rays playoff baseball up until his departure to Houston following the aftermath of the sign-stealing scandal. His tenure in Houston is regarded as very gutsy, with the ability to ride a fragile ship capable of sinking quickly if things went south. It wasn't easy, Click was unable to participate in the first and second round of the 2020 and 2021 MLB draft, due to the sign-stealing penalties. Yet, the Astros remained dominant, making a trip to their fourth straight ALCS in Click's first year, and then back to back World Series appearances in the following years.

Click Has Difficulty With Crane

Winning the 2022 World Series was ironically Click's final year with Houston. Considering he made key trades acquiring Phil Maton and Yainer Diaz, both whom have had solid years in an Astros uniform, It's well known him and Crane did not have a compatible relationship, with Click citing difficulty doing his job as the Astros GM.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

This relationship reached a boiling point by the end of the 2022 trade deadline. Houston had a chance to acquire Chicago Cubs three-time All-Star catcher Wilson Contreras for RHP Jose Urquidy, a literal player for player swap. Houston needed catching depth due to Jason Castro being sidelined for the rest of the season. Martin Maldonado provided ample defense and strong pitcher relationships, but his offense was a non-factor. Acquiring Contreras would desperately help alleviate that.

Urquidy had been with Houston since 2019 and was having his best season at age 26 going 13-8 with a 3.94 ERA in 164.1 innings. This was his likely ceiling, as he was the fifth man out of the rotation. There was no likely potential that he was going to get better than these numbers. Contreras, who just earned his third All-Star nod, was on a Cubs team rebuilding from their 2016 World Series core. While he would likely been a rental considering he was on his final arbitration year, there was no potential risk to the Astros gradually depleting farm system.

The Big Mistake That Led To Slow Fall From Grace

Chicago was more than willing to take Urquidy with no draft capital added, potentially keeping up and coming players who would likely help retain Houston's dynasty. Unfortunately, Crane stepped in and vetoed the trade, keeping Urquidy on the team. This started the turning point, a decision that the Astros would later suffer a few seasons later.

Houston would eventually get a trade done to replace Castro, turning it into Christian Vazquez.

The Aftermath

Vazquez played an impactful role in the Astros playoff success, but at the cost of giving away some of their farm system in rising star Wilyer Abreu to the Boston Red Sox. Now, four years later, and Abreu is Boston's everyday left fielder, and has won back-to-back Gold Gloves in the last two seasons. Offensively, he had a breakout year in 2025 in the power department, hitting 22 homers with a .786 OPS in 115 games. Arguably, Contreras would have performed better than Vazquez, considering his All-Star resume. Also, Urquidy is a complete shell of himself after his 2022 peak, and has been in and out of the minors on different teams.

Adding insult to injury, Abreu bats left-handed. Having a reliable power bat on the left side of the diamond in the Astros current lineup structure would vastly help their lack of offensive production, aiding other left-handed slugger Yordan Alvarez.

Following the 2022 offseason, Click departed from Houston on a sour note, unable to perform his job effectively. He now works as the VP of baseball strategy with the Toronto Blue Jays since 2023, who have sustained recent playoff success, nearly winning the World Series last season.

Adding Insult To Injury

Before Crane even found Click's replacement, he himself signed aging All-Star Jose Abreu and extended Rafael Montero, both to large contracts, and both absolutely abysmal in the following Astros years. The deal was widely seen as owner malpractice, and the team ultimately released Abreu in June 2024, requiring Crane to eat over $30 million in remaining contract value.

After signing Dana Brown, a first year general manager for Houston, it's been a mixed bag. While he's drafted promising players in Brice Matthews, Walker Yanek, Xavier Neyens, his free agent signings and trades have led to minimal results. Christian Walker had a down year in his first season as a Astro. The Kyle Tucker trade has only seen consistent success from Isaac Paredes. Hayden Wesneski had been injured all year and Cam Smith struggled offensively during his rookie season.

Trading multiple prospects to the New York Mets to get back a 40-year old Verlander was a gamble, but so far the prospects haven't amounted to much and JV helped the Astros nearly make it to their third straight World Series. Letting Yusei Kikuchi walk after acquiring him for three prime prospects in 2024 is a definitive blemish, considering Kikuchi played his best baseball as an Astros rental. Brown attempted to redeem himself by getting one of those prospects back in Joey Loperfido.

Crane Is The Reason Why Dynasty Fell

Brown hasn't been perfect, but he also hasn't set up for success in the same way James Click was. He's done a fine job based on the circumstances.

In reality, Crane is the one who inadvertently diminished the Astros playoff window. Click's previous GM experience in Tampa helped him handle Houston's brief scandal with aplomb and had a prime opportunity to effectively sustain the Astros dynasty. Unfortunately, Crane's ill-advised decision to not let Click do his job on a pivotal move likely created the unfortunate circumstance of Astros dynasty collapse.