AL West

Relief pitcher Rafael Montero has reportedly agreed to a deal to remain with the Houston Astros in free agency.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Saturday that Montero and the Astros came to terms on a three-year, $34.5 million contract.

The 32-year-old Montero spent parts of the past two seasons in Houston and was a key part of an Astros bullpen that dominated during the 2022 playoffs en route to a World Series championship.

Montero was arguably the Astros' best reliever last season, appearing in a team-high 71 games and going 5-2 with a 2.37 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 73 strikeouts over 68.1 innings.

The eight-year MLB veteran was also strong during the postseason, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 10 appearances.

Montero pitched for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners over his first seven seasons and largely struggled, recording an ERA under 4.00 in only one of those seasons.

In 40 appearances for the Mariners during the 2021 season, Montero had a bloated 7.27 ERA, but he got right following a trade to Houston, allowing no earned runs in four appearances to close the year.

Montero finally put together the best full season of his career in 2022, and he was rewarded with a contract that will pay him $11.5 million annually.

On the heels of winning the 2022 World Series, Montero was among the top Astros players to hit free agency, along with starting pitcher Justin Verlander, first baseman Yuli Gurriel and outfielder Michael Brantley.

With Montero returning, Will Smith is the only notable reliever from last season's team who is not under contract with the Astros.

Montero, Héctor Neris, Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, Bryan Abreu, Seth Martinez and closer Ryan Pressly are all expected to be back next season barring trades, meaning Houston should have one of the elite bullpens in baseball once again.

The Astros were slated to be one of the top World Series contenders in 2023 regardless of Montero's status, but the return of a bullpen linchpin undoubtedly helps their cause.

The contentious relationship between Houston Astros owner Jim Crane and general manager James Click has come to an end less than one week after Houston's World Series victory.

The Astros and Click parted ways Friday after he rejected the team's one-year contract offer.

Crane issued a statement about Click in the wake of his departure:

Astros owner Jim Crane: ‘We are grateful for all of James’ contributions. 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.”

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 11, 2022

The team also parted ways with assistant general manager Scott Powers, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan:

The Houston Astros also fired assistant general manager Scott Powers, sources told ESPN. Powers was a former R&D executive with the Dodgers who was brought in as an AGM by James Click in January. Now Click and Powers are gone from the World Series champions on the same day.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 11, 2022

While it is unusual to see a general manager leave after the team wins the World Series, the move isn't a total surprise.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported before the playoffs that Houston would likely have to win the World Series for Click to keep his job.

An Oct. 27 report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted a number of issues that caused conflict between Crane and Click, ranging from the size of the baseball operations staff to Click's concern that other people in the organization influenced Crane.

Click's contract expired Oct. 31, five days before the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies to win their second championship. He was in Las Vegas this week for the general manager meetings despite not having a contract.

The Astros re-signed manager Dusty Baker to a one-year contract Wednesday. Crane told reporters during the press conference to announce Baker's deal that he was "in discussions" with Click about an extension.

The Astros hired Baker and Click almost simultaneously in 2020 after firing A.J. Hinch and Jeff Luhnow in the wake of MLB's discipline from the cheating scandal during the 2017 season.

The Astros made the playoffs in each of Click's three years as general manager. They reached the World Series in each of the past two seasons and won the title this year.

Houston's 106 wins during the 2022 regular season were the second-most in franchise history (107 in 2019).

The Houston Astros declined the $10 million mutual option on Trey Mancini's contract for the 2023 season on Thursday, per Brandon Scott of Sports Radio 610.

It was something of a surprise given the fact that the Astros acquired Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles at the 2022 season's trade deadline to better their team for a deep playoff run.

Yet he struggled for the eventual World Series champions and slashed .176/.258/.364 with eight home runs and 22 RBI in 51 regular-season games before going 1-for-21 in the playoffs.

He spent most of his time in Houston in left field but also saw time serving as the team's designated hitter.

Before joining the Astros, Mancini spent the first six-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Orioles. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 2016 but didn't become a full-time player in Baltimore until the 2017 campaign.

Mancini's best season with the Orioles came in 2019 when he slashed .291/.364/.535 with 35 home runs and 97 RBI in 154 games. He hasn't been as great in recent seasons, but he is still an effective player and would be a valuable asset for any contending team.

It's unclear where he will end up, but Mancini said in August that he would "of course" welcome a return to the Orioles.

The 30-year-old should draw some strong interest in free agency.

Justin Verlander is officially set to join a stacked MLB free-agent class this offseason.

The veteran pitcher declined the $25 million option for the 2023 season on his contract Thursday, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Morosi noted that it was an expected result since it will allow Verlander to perhaps pursue a longer and more lucrative contract on the open market.

Verlander agreed to a one-year, $25 million deal with this player option for 2023 in November 2021, although there was something of a workload contingency for the option to go into effect.

He triggered it in August when he surpassed the 130-inning threshold, which was notable given his recent injury concerns.

"I wasn't pitching to get to 130 innings," he told reporters at the time. "When we were doing the contract, [Astros owner] Jim [Crane] told me they wanted 130 innings for my player option. I was asking for a straight player option and they said they'd like 130 innings, and that was that. I thought that was a very fair number the way I like to pitch."

Verlander pitched just one game during the shortened 2020 campaign and missed the entirety of the 2021 season thanks to Tommy John surgery. He also missed time in 2022 with a calf injury and will be 40 years old during the upcoming season.

While durability and age may be fair reasons for concern, he is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best pitchers of his generation. He also looked as dominant as ever for much of the 2022 campaign when he was on the mound, which likely contributed to this decision since he could make more money on the open market as a free agent.

Even with the calf injury, he was perhaps the best pitcher in the American League, leading the AL with 18 wins, a 1.75 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP, while striking out 185 batters in 175 innings.

He also help the Astros win the World Series, marking his second championship during his time in Houston.

Verlander has been with the Astros since they landed him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers in 2017, and he has solidified what may have already been a Hall of Fame resume.

He showed no signs of slowing down last season, and provided the Astros make a fair offer, it is difficult to envision him signing elsewhere despite opting out.

Four days after winning the World Series and amid rumored tension with ownership, James Click could be on the verge of returning to the Houston Astros in 2023.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Astros owner Jim Crane said he is "in discussions" with Click on a new deal.

In a report on Oct. 2, USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted Click's job security may depend on the Astros winning the World Series because Crane has "never warmed up to him" and has "long questioned whether he’s the right guy" to be general manager.

Following the Astros' 7-0 postseason start ahead of the World Series, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal provided more insight about Crane's reasoning for not being sold on Click as general manager:

"Sources familiar with the Astros’ situation who are not authorized to talk about the team’s operation cite a variety of potential reasons for the uncertainty surrounding Click: Stylistic clashes between the 44-year-old executive and the 68-year-old Crane, disagreements about the size of the baseball operations staff and concern from Click about other voices in the organization influencing the owner."

Click and manager Dusty Baker were hired in 2020 in the wake of Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch being fired as a result of the cheating scandal during the 2017 season.

Baker's original deal with the Astros was for one year with a team option for 2021. He signed a one-year extension for 2022 in November 2021.

The Astros announced on Wednesday that Baker has extended his deal to return next season.

Click has been working without a contract since October 31. The 44-year-old spent 15 seasons working in the Tampa Bay Rays' front office from 2005-19 prior to being hired by the Astros.

In three seasons with Click as general manager, the Astros have made the playoffs three times and reached the World Series in each of the past two seasons, including a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies this year.

Houston's 106 wins in 2022 were the second-most in franchise history (107 in 2019).

The New York Mets are reportedly "most worried" about the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers as they attempt to re-sign starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

SNY's Andy Martino reported Tuesday the Mets are expected to make a "strong" offer to bring back deGrom early in free agency but aren't planning to stay in a long-term bidding war with the Braves, Rangers and other interested clubs if that's how the situation plays out.

Martino also noted the two sides have had "preliminary contact":

https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1590084279551528960

https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1590084769186185217

The top of New York's pitching staff is the main point of concern as free agency gets prepared to open Thursday, especially after the team was able to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz to solidify the back end of the bullpen.

There are a lot of question marks behind Max Scherzer, which means multiple additions could be necessary if Carlos Carrasco and Chris Bassitt also depart.

DeGrom coming back would provide a major boost, but it doesn't sound like the Mets' front office is willing to meet or exceed any offer to keep him.

The club is willing to pay fair market value or "perhaps go a bit higher" but will otherwise attempt to fill the void in another way, per Martino.

Watching the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who's pitched his entire nine-year career with the Mets, land with the NL East rival Braves would be a tough pill to swallow, though.

Atlanta already features one of MLB's best rotations with Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright and Charlie Morton, and picking up a starter with a 2.52 ERA across 209 career starts would give the Braves the best starting group in baseball.

Meanwhile, deGrom represents a bigger need for the Rangers, who have more talent on their roster than their 68-94 record in 2022 would indicate. One of the missing pieces is a true ace.

In October, Texas general manager Chris Young didn't hide his intention to enter free agency with an eye toward improving the rotation.

"We will be active on the free-agent market with the intention of signing multiple starting pitchers," Young told reporters.

Landing deGrom would be a massive step in the right direction toward rebuilding that area of the roster.

All told, it's hard to imagine the Mets won't do everything in their power to keep their longtime ace, but all signs point toward ample competition on the market.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane will formally offer contracts to both manager Dusty Baker and general manager James Click for the 2023 season, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Baker, 73, said Tuesday he plans to return to the team.

"I'll be back, but we're working on it," he told reporters. "It's as simple as that."

The Astros took home the 2022 World Series by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. It was Baker's first title after 25 seasons as a manager in MLB.

Baker previously agreed to a one-year deal to remain the Astros manager for the 2022 season, his third with the team. In that time, Houston has gone 230-154 in the regular season with three trips to the ALCS, two World Series appearances and one championship.

Click also joined the organization in 2020 as part of the organizational restructure after Houston fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for their roles in the team's sign-stealing scandal.

The 44-year-old had spent the previous 15 years with the Tampa Bay Rays, working his way up to vice president of baseball operations.

Though most of the Astros' contributors this season have been in the organization for more than three years, Click made aggressive moves to bolster the roster ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, acquiring Trey Mancini and Christian Vazquez.

Crane praised the team's leadership in helping to bring home another championship.

"I appreciate all the hard work they've both done," Crane said of Click and Baker. "They've done a good job."

Houston has work to do in the offseason—notably, starting pitcher Justin Verlander will be a free agent—but the Astros are set up well to contend for a title in 2023.

In his five MLB seasons, Shohei Ohtani's individual success has not been matched by team success, causing many to question his future with the Los Angeles Angels. However, the 2021 American League MVP won't be going anywhere this offseason.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters on Monday that the two-way phenom will not be traded "at all" this winter and will begin the 2023 season in Los Angeles.

It's not necessarily surprising that the Angels would want to hold on to one of the greatest talents in the majors. However, it would have been interesting to see what teams would have given up for Ohtani after he was pulled off the market over the summer despite garnering substantial interest at the 2022 trade deadline.

Ohtani has yet to play in the postseason during his MLB career. The 28-year-old is in his prime and put together another incredible campaign in 2022.

He ranked third in the AL with 219 strikeouts and fourth with a 2.33 ERA while putting together a 15-9 record on the mound. He was also impressive at the plate, hitting .273/.356/.519 with 36 home runs and a team-high 95 RBI.

The Angels are a team in transition entering this offseason. Arte Moreno announced his intentions to sell the franchise, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last week that the plan is "serious and will happen." Heyman added that Moreno "should receive a record price" that exceeds Steve Cohen's $2.4 billion purchase of the New York Mets.

Ohtani is set to receive $30 million for the 2023 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024. It's hard to imagine a team trading for him without a commitment to a long-term extension. There's a chance that he plays the entire year in Los Angeles before getting an opportunity to explore his options next offseason.

The Houston Police Department announced on Monday that a man was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly throwing and striking Sen. Ted Cruz with a beer can during the Astros World Series Parade.

Nearby HPD officers arrested the male without further incident. He was taken to jail and faces assault charges. We will release the suspect's name and booking photo here when formal charges are filed. 2/2

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) November 7, 2022

Video of the incident was shared on Twitter:

Beer flies at Ted Cruz during Astros World Series Parade pic.twitter.com/lRALgyXCe2

— orca whale psychologist (@wcgroovy) November 7, 2022

It is unclear why Cruz, who has no formal connection to the Astros beyond spending most of his childhood in Houston after being born in Calgary, was a part of the parade, though often local officials feature in teams' title celebrations.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also took part in the festivities, riding on a humvee one vehicle ahead of Cruz.

Neither were reportedly greeted with the warmest of receptions. Per Ariana Garcia of the Houston Chronicle, "Cruz—who wore Astros colors—was shown waving at the crowd, smiling, and giving a thumbs up, despite several fans giving him thumbs down and booing at him in return. Patrick, who floated by in a humvee before Cruz, was also reportedly the subject of jeers."

Ted Cruz pulled off what I thought was impossible- getting booed at a championship parade. pic.twitter.com/B4oVgP404Q

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 7, 2022

Sen. Ted Cruz showered with boos at the Houston Astros' World Series paradehttps://t.co/PkjRTTSBLS

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 7, 2022

Loud boos and middle fingers for Ted Cruz

— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) November 7, 2022

Ted Cruz is on a float getting booed into oblivion

— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) November 7, 2022

Cruz offered a different perspective on the festivities with a tweet of his own:

Fired up crowd today during the @Astros #WorldSeries parade!

Such a great time celebrating an amazing team!#GoStros pic.twitter.com/mvjtRLtKWx

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 7, 2022

The Astros were celebrating Monday after beating the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday night, 4-1, closing out the series with three straight victories, including two in Philadelphia. It was Houston's second title in the past six years and their fourth trip to the Fall Classic in that span.

The Astros last title was controversial given the team's sign-stealing scandal, though no such controversy currently looms over this iteration of the squad.

After a dominant run through the postseason, the Houston Astros will celebrate their World Series title with a parade on Monday at 12 p.m. local time.

The parade will travel down Smith Street, starting at Preston Street.

#WorldSeries parade will be tomorrow at 12pm‼️
Please utilize @METROHouston or ride share to get to the Parade. Services from @METROHouston will be free tomorrow. ⚾️⚾️🥳🥳

#LevelUp #WorldSeries2022 pic.twitter.com/C0GI1AmqCP

— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) November 6, 2022

For those who can't attend in person, the parade will be shown on MLB Network.

The Astros closed out the 2022 championship with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6, leading to a massive celebration in front of the home crowd:

THE FINAL OUT OF THE WORLD SERIES 🚀 @BRWalkoff

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/3Y4h6TIbEV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 6, 2022

Framber Valdez was a star on the mound, throwing nine strikeouts in six innings while allowing just one run and two hits.

The Astros still trailed until a massive three-run home run from Yordan Álvarez in the sixth inning:

YORDAN ALVAREZ 3-RUN HR TO GIVE THE ASTROS A 3-1 LEAD 🤯 @BRWalkoff

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/2CVaM0GDqf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 6, 2022

One swing changed the game and the series as Houston secured its second championship in six years.

Jeremy Peña was named the World Series MVP after hitting .400 with three extra-base hits in the six games.

The fans will now celebrate the 2022 season, which featured 106 wins in the regular season and an 11-2 record in the playoffs. After losing twice in the World Series and twice in the ALCS over the past four years, the squad is finally back on top of the baseball world.

Perhaps no one will be celebrating more than manager Dusty Baker, who finally earned his first championship after 25 seasons leading a major league club. The 73-year-old has 840 regular-season wins and three Manager of the Year Awards, but he can now add a ring to his Hall of Fame resume.