Who is James Click? Dissecting new Blue Jays vice president of baseball strategy's World Series-winning career as an executive

The Toronto Blue Jays are due a World Series, and James Click might be the man to get them there. The MLB's only Canadian team has not brought a championship north of the border since they did so in back-to-back seasons in 1992 and 1993.

Although the team made the ALCS in 2015, it has never panned out for them. Now, they are bringing on an experienced name who knows how to win - Click - a 45-year old Yale University graduate. He brings nearly 20 years of operational experience and some solid results to show.

"The @BlueJays announce that they have hired former Astros GM James Click as Vice President of Baseball Strategy." -@ SportsNet

In late February 2023, it was announced that the Toronto Blue Jays would hire the North Carolina-native as their new vice president of baseball strategy. As part of the role, he will work closely alongside Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins. Atkins has been the Jays' general manager since December 2015.

Click was heavily involved in the Tampa Bay Rays organization from 2005 to 2017. There, he worked his way up from an operations intern to become the vice president of baseball operations in 2017.

In 2020, Click was hired by the Houston Astros as their general manager. The Astros, who had won their first franchise World Series three years prior, were looking for someone to steer the team towards a continued culture of success.

“Our focus is to try to put ourselves in best position that we can to try to compete for a World Series this year,” GM James Click on Astros’ moves today."" - @ Brian McTaggart

In Click's three seasons at the Astros' helm, the team made it to the World Series twice and won the Fall Classic once. It's reported that the 45-year old turned down a one-year contract extension with the team following their 2022 World Series win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

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Is James Click the man for Toronto Blue Jays?

The Jays are a young, hungry and offensively-minded team. They led the MLB in hits and batting average last year, thanks to strong bats like Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

If James Click can work the magic that was evidenced in his time with the Astros, it won't be long before late October baseball returns to the T-Dot.