Jim Crane has been negotiating for quite some time to purchase the Houston Astros from Drayton McLane. Part of the holdup has been MLB's desire to go to balanced leagues of 15 teams each; the Astros have been targeted as the team to switch leagues.
Jim Crane Wants $50 Million ‘Discount’ For Moving Astros To AL
Thursday, the New York Post reports that Crane wants $50 million to do this:
Sources told The Post that Crane -- who reached a deal in May to buy the Astros from Drayton McLane for $680 million -- is asking for a price reduction in the $50 million range to make the move.
On that front, the two sides are in the “ballpark” on the price, although a deal is far from certain, sources said.“In the ballpark”. Get it?
Anyway, two 15-team leagues would mean more interleague play, because an odd number of teams in each league would force an interleague matchup to be held at all times through the season; one proposal would have about 30 interleague games in a 162-game schedule. This realignment would also likely add the additional wild card team that has been discussed, though this couldn’t occur until 2013 at the earliest. The Post reports that this isn’t anywhere near a done deal:
One source close to the talks said there is a “65 to 70 percent chance” that Selig and Crane will reach a deal. If not, Crane will likely walk away from buying the Astros. MLB and Crane spokesmen declined comment.So it either will or won’t happen. We’ll await further developments, as always.
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