Astros expected to move to AL in 2013

Post #1 » by **HMFFL** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 2:45 am

Rotoworld.com

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, prospective Astros owner Jim Crane has agreed to move the team to the American League in 2013.
Drayton McLane agreed to sell the team in May to a group led by Crane for $680 million — the second-highest sale price in major league history. Heyman reports that Crane will get a $50 million "discount" for agreeing to move the team to the American League while Bob Nightengale of USA Today hears that it's $80 million. The sale could be approved as soon as this Thursday during the MLB owners' meetings in Milwaukee. The Astros are expected to join the AL West, which would result in 15-team leagues and interleague play on a daily basis during the season.
Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter

Post #2 » by **Da Schwab** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:30 am

Wait. Interleague play every single calendar day of the regular season?

I feel like that might be a stumbling block.

Post #3 » by **HMFFL** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 8:17 pm

MLB approves Astros sale, price cut $65 million

Baseball owners unanimously approved the sale of the Houston Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane on Thursday, which will lead to the team moving from the NL Central to the AL West for the 2013 season.

The decision will give each league 15 teams, baseball’s first realignment since the Milwaukee Brewers switched from the AL to the NL after the 1997 season.

As part of the Astros’ agreement to switch leagues, the sale price was cut from $680 million to $615 million, a person at Thursday’s meeting told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details weren’t announced,

Major League Baseball will make up part of the $65 million difference, paying McLane $35 million over three years, the person said.

Commissioner Bud Selig said owners also approved two additional wild-card teams for the postseason, meaning 10 of the 30 teams make the playoffs. Selig said he hopes the expanded playoffs can start next year, but he said the specifics are being worked out. The players’ association favors the move. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-owners

cb4_89 · Post #4 » by **cb4_89** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 2:05 pm

This is HUGE. Not really the move, but the ramifications of it for everyone else. An extra playoff spot per league? More inter-league play? This is GREAT news for the jays. They may not make the playoffs still but at least this time they don't have to have better records than both the yankees and red sox. It does allow them to maybe spend more now to compete and have a chance to get into the post season.

I have always hated how such a small amount of teams made the playoffs. They should make like 16 teams make the playoffs. That would bring in SO much more revenue. And teams would have more of a chance to make it.

Post #5 » by **mizzoupacers** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:49 pm

But baseball stands out from other sports leagues because they play every day (which beats hell out of having to wait days for the next game) and because those games matter as long as you have to do more than just finish in the top half of the standings like in pro basketball, hockey, etc. Watering down the regular season by increasing the number of playoff spots undermines MLB's unique identity, at least in my opinion.

I guess adding one extra wild card in each league is not so bad, but I hope it doesn't ever go beyond that.

I agree that MLB would be better if teams like Toronto had a better shot at making it to the postseason. But I think a better way to go about it is to eliminate the huge discrepancies in payrolls so that the Yankees et al. do not have such an advantage in putting together a roster.

High 5 · Post #6 » by **High 5** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:44 pm

Baseball is kind of a crapshoot and having 162 games come down to a one game playoff between two teams is stupid. You can have the 2nd best record in the league and only be guaranteed one game in the postseason. If another WC team is added it has to be at least a 3 game series.

Post #7 » by **craig01** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:40 pm

cb4_89 wrote:
I have always hated how such a small amount of teams made the playoffs. They should make like 16 teams make the playoffs. That would bring in SO much more revenue. And teams would have more of a chance to make it.

It might bring more playoff revenue but you would have to shorten the regular season to do so.

Adding so many teams would cheapen the efforts of teams that actually earned a spot in the playoffs.

Post #8 » by **Da Schwab** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:20 pm

Jim Crane starts the overhaul. Ed Wade and Tal Smith on the outs.

Wade2k6 · Post #9 » by **Wade2k6** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:39 am

High 5 wrote:Baseball is kind of a crapshoot and having 162 games come down to a one game playoff between two teams is stupid. You can have the 2nd best record in the league and only be guaranteed one game in the postseason. If another WC team is added it has to be at least a 3 game series.

+1. If the Red Sox and Yankees are both at 97-98+ wins, there's no reason why a team with 86-88 wins should have a chance to knock them out of the playoffs with 1 game being the deciding factor.

162 games should mean a hell of a lot more than 1 game.

Wade2k6 · Post #10 » by **Wade2k6** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:40 am

Da Schwab wrote:Jim Crane starts the overhaul. Ed Wade and Tal Smith on the outs.

This will easily be the best thing to happen to this franchise this off-season. Ed Wade is probably the worst and most incompetent GM in the major leagues.

Post #11 » by **moocow007** » Wed Dec 7, 2011 6:25 pm

Wade2k6 wrote:
High 5 wrote:Baseball is kind of a crapshoot and having 162 games come down to a one game playoff between two teams is stupid. You can have the 2nd best record in the league and only be guaranteed one game in the postseason. If another WC team is added it has to be at least a 3 game series.

+1. If the Red Sox and Yankees are both at 97-98+ wins, there's no reason why a team with 86-88 wins should have a chance to knock them out of the playoffs with 1 game being the deciding factor.

162 games should mean a hell of a lot more than 1 game.

Pretty much. If so, then it behooves the big money teams to dump even more money on guys that can win them one big game like this. Meaning going crazy for the Verlanders, the King Felix's, the Clayton Kershaws whenever they become FA's. You can't go by having a deep rotation of above average starters...you're going to need that one sure bet elite pitcher. Same goes for the elite closers. And guys like Pujols, etc. who can scare the bejesus out of opposing teams and change the game with one swing.