Jim Crane Seeking Compensation to Move Astros to AL

In an effort to even the American and National Leagues, Major League Baseball is working on moving the Houston Astros from the NL Central to the AL West.  With the switch, MLB would field an even 15 teams in each division.  Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane supports the move, but a decision has been put on hold as he and Major League Baseball discuss compensation for sending his future club to the Junior Circuit.

Back in May, longtime Astros owner Drayton McLane agreed to sell his team to Crane for $680 million.  The deal hasn’t been finalized, but Crane is in line to officially take over as Houston’s next owner before the end of November.

Much of the talk surrounding the Astros has centered on their immanent move to the American League.  Currently, the NL Central includes six clubs while the AL West only has four.  By moving the Astros over to the American League West, each division in baseball would have an equal five teams.  More importantly, the AL and NL would share the same number of clubs, 15.

This equality would pave the way for Major League Baseball to include an additional wild card playoff team from each league.  These teams would likely play in a do-or-die contest with the winner moving on to their league’s division series.

Crane is behind a Houston move to the American League, but he wants to be compensated for the switch.  Crane’s reasoning is the increased travel expenses the club would face along with the cost of adding a designated hitter.  It’s being reported that Crane is looking to have $50 million reduced from the overall total of $680 million his group owes for the Astros in return for the move.

For more on the Astros, be sure to check out Climbing Tal’s Hill.