So if you're a Houston Astros fan, you've probably been just about ready to bury your head in the sand over the last couple of years. On Wednesday, owner Jim Crane didn't exactly endear himself to the Minute Maid Park faithful with comments about their payroll.
Once their roster is finalized, the Astros will enter the season with a payroll of $25 million. That puts them at the bottom of the league in terms of lowest payroll. And fans are less than thrilled about this. So Crane spoke to The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, and offered them a possible solution if they want to see the payroll adjusted drastically.
It doesn't bother me that people want us to spend more money. But it's not their money. This is a private company, even though it's got a public flair to it. If they want to write a check for 10 million bucks, they can give me a call.
If they want to complain about it, they have a right to complain about it. But we're going to stick with the plan.
Houston had dumped off virtually every recognizable player from the time, including every piece of their 2005 World Series roster. They've opted to go with a younger franchise, utilizing their Minor League prospects to build around. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is optimistic about going forward, and isn't keen on the idea of bringing in a lot of veteran players.
Are they going to be part of our core in four or five years? We need to find out. If you take away their job and give it to a veteran, you delay finding out and it doesn't push the organization forward.
As a result, the Astros will have the youngest roster in baseball this year. The owners are hoping that this will spark a positive turnaround for the team, but some fans are just hoping to avoid a third consecutive 100-loss season.
They'll look to turn things around in just under three weeks, as Opening Day will see them facing new AL West rival Texas Rangers.
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