Astros Sold, Will Move to AL West

Los Angeles will have a new whipping boy competitor for AL West superiority beginning the season after next. The sale of the Houston Astros to Jim Krane is complete and as part of the agreement, the Astros will be moved to the American League West in 2013, with Crane getting a $70 million discount on the sale price of the team. That will even out baseball’s two leagues at 15 teams apiece and also means mathematically that interleague play will commence year round. Along with realignment is the implementation of two additional Wild Card spots, meaning a slight increase in the probability of the Angels making the postseason. Playing Houston at least a dozen times a year will not hurt either.