The Astros recently "received their formal invitation to visit the White House, as customary for reigning World Series champions, and plan to attend," according to Jake Kaplan of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The "exact date on which the team will be honored" by President Trump has "yet to be determined." Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan said that because the Astros "don't make their annual trip to Baltimore to play the Orioles until the final series of the regular season, the team is exploring the possibility" of going to DC "during spring training." Ryan said, "When the White House calls and invites you to come up, it's something that as an organization we felt both a responsibility and an obligation to be part of" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/4). In Houston, Fernando Ramirez notes individual Astros players or staff could "decide to decline the trip" to the White House. Trump in September "withdrew his White House invitation" to the Warriors after G Stephen Curry, said that he "would not go." Similarly, several players from the Patriots "chose not to attend the April White House visit because of political disagreements and personal beliefs." Ramirez also notes the act of skipping out on a White House invitation "isn't just a Trump-era move" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/4). REUTERS notes Astros 3B Alex Bregman "called Trump a 'joke'" before the '16 presidential election. Asked recently whether he would accept an invitation to the White House, Bregman said, “I don’t know. I‘m gonna do whatever Carlos Beltran and Carlos Correa do" (REUTERS, 1/4).
