Houston businessman Jim Crane, who heads an investment group that reached a $680 million purchase agreement in May with Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr., to buy the team, told the Houston Chronicle on Thursday that he's becoming frustrated with the ongoing rumors surrounding him and the overall delay it's taking Major League Baseball to approve the sale.
MLB issued a statement on Aug. 15 regarding the approval process of the proposed sale, stating it would be delayed for the time being.
When McLane and Crane addressed the media in May during a news conference at Minute Maid Park, both stated they believed it would take approximately 30 to 60 days for the approval of the sale to go through, with the likelihood that Crane's group would be in charge heading into the All-Star break.
However, Crane remains on the outside looking in.
Whether it has been rumors surrounding past discrimination complaints, war profiteering charges or even his divorce and child-custody dispute over a decade ago, Crane finds himself fed up with how this process continues to bring up over and done issues.
Ultimately, it comes down to being approved for the sale -- something Crane suspects Major League Baseball may be holding up in order to pressure him to agree to move the Astros to the American League, according to the Houston Chronicle.
MLB.com reported Thursday that commissioner Bud Selig has asked Crane to consent to a move to the AL, if approved for ownership.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported in June that MLB and the players' association are discussing the possibility of realigning both the American and National Leagues with 15 teams each, instead of the current structure of 16 NL and 14 AL teams, when the current collective bargaining agreement ends in December.
The Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks and Florida Marlins have all been rumored as the NL team that could possibly switch to the American League, with Houston and Arizona being the likely favorites.
Hypothetically, if the Astros made the switch, they would likely go into the AL West in order to equally balance out each division.
This would created a strong rivalry with the Texas Rangers.
Astros manager Brad Mills told Examiner.com in June that he's against a potential move and wants to see everything remain the same.
"I like the National League," Mills said. "I don't put a whole lot of stock into this thing right now. I don't think that's imminent. It might be, but not that I know of. I like how everything is set up right now. Like I said, I like the National League, and what is so bad about the way they have things right now in the majors?"
McLane also objects to a potential move to the AL.
Despite frustrations running high for those involved, McLane told the Houston Chronicle that he remains confident in the sale going through.
Crane, the founder of Crane Worldwide Logistics and CEO of Crane Capital, reportedly wants to drop Houston's payroll to $60 million with the intent of playing it "smart and spending money wisely."
He wants to focus on building the team via the First-Year Player Draft and spending money through effective player development.
McLane stated in 2009 that he had a tentative agreement with Crane to sell the Astros to him following the 2008 regular season.
Although nothing came of it, Crane and McLane's business relationship wasn't strained, as both maintained a high level of respect for each other.
It's no secret that Crane had strong interest in owning a Major League Baseball team after he fell short on a bid for the Cubs in 2009.
Furthermore, he came up short with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in an effort to buy the Texas Rangers in August 2010.
Crane credits the current timing as being right between him and McLane, considering he has maintained interest over the last three years in purchasing the team once the longtime Astros CEO and chairman was ready and fully prepared to sell.
"Certainly, Houston was one of our first choices," Crane said in May. "We've looked at a number of different teams and we've been fortunate enough going through the process to be able to see how other teams are run and the economics of each team.
"That gave us a lot of valuable information to immediately close in and get a deal that worked for Drayton and one that worked for us. I think it was the right moment. Drayton was ready to sell the team and we've always had the interest in buying the team.
"They aren't easy deals to construct and put together, but I think it's a good deal for Drayton and a good deal for us. We're real excited about it."
If and when Major League Baseball gives final approval of the sale, McLane will leave behind a remarkable legacy as the most successful owner in franchise history, with the Astros posting the fourth-best record in the National League during his tenure.
This includes six postseason appearances (1997-1999, 2001, 2004-05), as well as capturing the franchise's only National League pennant in 2005, en route to its lone World Series appearance.
The Astros became the first MLB team in the state of Texas to host a World Series game when they took the field against the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, October 25, 2005.
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