Houston Astros pending sale...

[wdm1219inpenna]

If and when the sale of the Houston Astros is consumated, could...

A. The new owner move the team to another city? I'm thinking the answer is no, unless they get 2/3rd approval from the other club owners. Not that I'm implying the Astros should move, I was just curious.

B. Could the new owner change the nickname of the team? If it were me and I took ownership, I'd want to rename the team the Apollos, which if memory serves, was one of the finalist nicknames for the NFL's Houston Texans.

[OnWis97]

If and when the sale of the Houston Astros is consumated, could...

A. The new owner move the team to another city? I'm thinking the answer is no, unless they get 2/3rd approval from the other club owners. Not that I'm implying the Astros should move, I was just curious.

B. Could the new owner change the nickname of the team? If it were me and I took ownership, I'd want to rename the team the Apollos, which if memory serves, was one of the finalist nicknames for the NFL's Houston Texans.

I tend to doubt it on both questions. They have the new revenue-producing ballpark. I assume they fleeced some tax-paying jurisdiction for it and I don't think MLB would like the bad pub of leaving so quickly. As for the name, I think the team has been around long enough they they'd be unlikely to mess with that consistent part of their identity (particularly so laterally with Apollos). The uniforms, on the other hand...

[BrySmalls]

The only possible move or change that the Astros would make is switching from the NL Central to the AL West.

[Gothamite]

I believe that the Astros have a lease through 2029. Not to say that leases can't be broken, but I doubt that a league would allow it except in failed markets.

As for the name, MLB has a veto over proposed names. Again, I think there would have to be a very compelling reason for MLB to approve it.

[pmoehrin]

The chances the Astros leave Houston I'd say is somewhere between zero and one percent.

Houston is the sixth largest metro area, and has an up to date ballpark. Where are they going to go where they'll have that good of a deal going for them?

The Astros biggest problem is that they just suck. Worst team in baseball, and at the All-Star break I believe Baseball America had their farm system ranked dead last, so they're not getting better anytime soon either. They'll probably have the number one pick more then once over the next five years. They basically have to start from scratch as an orginzation. If I'm an incoming owner, I'm probably firing just about everybody and just starting with a completely new set of people. You need to send a message to the fans that things aren't going to be the same, and at least half people probably deserve to be fired anyway. How do you get the worst record in baseball and the worst farm system? Exactly what are you doing to get that combo going for you? The only thing I can come up with is total incompetence on the part of the front office staff.

For all intensive purposes the Houston Astros are an expansion team right now. I don't know if there's a single player on their current roster I can say for certain will still be in the major leagues three years from now barring injury. Maybe Bud Norris. That might be the list.

As for their name I do think they should go back to being the Colt .45's and bring back the coolest jerseys in major league history, but one can only dream for that day to come.

[NJTank]

The Astros had a great run division titles went to the 2005 World Series, they just got old and did not develop enough good players to replace them.

[mania]

I don't know if there's a single player on their current roster I can say for certain will still be in the major leagues three years from now barring injury. Maybe Bud Norris. That might be the list.

Ahem.

The Astros had a great run division titles went to the 2005 World Series, they just got old and did not develop enough good players to replace them.

So you're saying Ed Wade is a bad GM... NO, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.

[NJTank]

Well it seems as if Houston has become a AAA affilliate of the Phillies so that does not help Wade's resume.

[pmoehrin]

I don't know if there's a single player on their current roster I can say for certain will still be in the major leagues three years from now barring injury. Maybe Bud Norris. That might be the list.

Ahem.

So two guys. Its still not saying much. That's also about their only young player really lightning things up right now. The two best indicators of a minor league system I'd say are your AA and advaned single A team. Combined their record is 95-175. Don't see too many guys from either of those two teams coming up and lighting things up and that's usually where your best prospects are playing.

Houston has a long way to go even if they do everything right from here on out.

As for the Astros being the Phillies AAA team, I don't think either trade was that bad. The bulk of the deal they were getting back was prospects and the prospects they got back have been pretty good. The Oswalt deal got them Brett Wallace, although I do think they got sold up the river on J.A. Happ. I think the Phillies knew he was hurt the day they got rid of him. Still all in all not the worst deal in the world. It's not like they're going anywhere with Oswalt either. End of the day I'll say they'll probably break even.

The Pence deal though I think is going to work out for them. The best prospect in their farm system (Joanthan Singleton) they got in the Pence trade. He could be up full time by the end of next season if all goes well. As much as I'm sure they would have liked to keep Pence the important thing for them right now is getting propsects and that's what that deal did.

I'd be more angry about the Michael Bourn trade, where I don't think they got back anything of real value then I would either the Pence or the Oswalt deal. He's arbitration eligable after this year, and I would have rather kept him on for another year and seen what I could have gotten for him rather then trade him this year. It gives you somebody worthwhile to go out and see on your club, and I would rather the comp. pick I could probably get for him then what the Braves gave them. They also play in the sixth largest metro market in the country and only have $40 million locked up for next year. They should easily be able to afford what Bourne would get in arbitration, which probably wouldn't be all that much above what he's making now if he got anything. That was not smart.

[The_Admiral]

1) The Astros have no clear reason to leave

2) The Astros have no clear reason to rename themselves the "Apollos"

3) This dog I feel is pretty neat

[wdm1219inpenna]

I agree, on every point, especially needing a uniform that says "Astros" properly. The brand they've had for some time now is quite boring to me. The font looks like a rope, and the colors are rather bland. I realize they're wanting to incorporate an "old west" feel perhaps, but the Texas Rangers do that quite nicely already. The late 90s set they had was quite nice I thought. Hopefully they'll make their uniforms look more appealing in the near future, though they have much bigger fish to fry right now than that.