The Houston Astros will announce on Monday that they will fire GM Ed Wade. That's a nifty move for new Astros owner Jim Crane - Wade may have helped build some powerhouse teams in Philadelphia, but as things stood, he was one of the worst general managers in the big leagues, and the Astros need someone better.
↵Obviously, a lot will depend on who the Astros hire. But this is a sign that the Jim Crane Astros don't intend to be doormats, as they were in 2011. That's significant for the Pirates, because the Astros are about to move out of the N.L. Central after next season, and into the American League. In the short term, you might say that's too bad for the Pirates, in that they lose one of the few opponents they can regularly beat. But in the long term, it's great for the Bucs - the Astros can afford larger payrolls than the Pirates can, and they aren't going to be bad forever, as the Wade dismissal makes clear. And now the Pirates' division will have only five teams rather than six.
↵For more on the Astros, check out Crawfish Boxes.
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