The Houston Astros are expected to complete the sale of the club to Jim Crane this winter, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network. Current owner Drayton McLane has been working on this deal for months, and there were times when it seemed like it might not get done, but things have been more optimistic of late.
And the bigger news for most baseball fans is presumably one of the deal's stipulations: the Astros will be moving to the American League West, balancing the leagues at 15 teams apiece with three five-team divisions in each league. Presumably this is good news for fans of the other four teams in that division, given that they'll be able to beat up on a weak Astros team over the next few years.