​The Athletics have been pretty quiet about their search for a new GM in the weeks since firing David Forst, who had been with the organization for more than two decades. That is, until Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that former Houston Astros GM James Click “has emerged as a serious candidate for the Athletics GM opening.” Click is currently serving as vice president of baseball strategy with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he has been since 2023.Click served as the Astros GM from January 2020 through November 2022. They went 230-154, winning the AL West in 2021 and 2022 (A’s won it by seven games in 2020), and capped off with a World Series win in his final year. He was offered just a one-year extension after that success, which he declined. Before he became the GM of the Astros, taking over for Jeff Luhnow after the trash can cheating fervor was at its peak among the fans, he spent 15 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, an organization many baseball fans love to see involved in some way when their team is searching for GM hires. Between the Rays, Astros, and Blue Jays, these are three organizations that have had a lot of success getting the most out of pitchers they bring in. That track record bodes well for the A’s. Click’s experience with Tampa Bay shows he can achieve results on limited payrolls, which should come in handy as the A’s look to move to what will be baseball’s smallest market in Las Vegas when the ballpark opens in 2028.  Click, 48, is the exact type of hire the A’s need. They are dealing with plenty of organizational turnover at the moment, and Click took over the Houston job during a good bit of turnover as well, ultimately steering his team through the transition. The questions are whether Click can navigate the unknown and what resources owner John Fisher will provide for his updated front office starter kit. As we mentioned when Forst was fired, the real issue with the A’s struggles this season has been that the research team the club has isn’t big enough to help come up with strategies for success in Sacramento. That lack of bodies will also hurt the club moving into Las Vegas, where they are unsure of how that park will play.That’s the unknown. How will he ensure success in a ballpark in which no games have been played? Click is an accomplished executive and has the type of experience the A’s should pursue. Whoever ends up getting the job will have to answer those two critical questions.