I SWEAR I am not kidding and here's the proof!

[da_big_kid_94]

According to Forbes magazine ...the 2013 Houston Astros .... NOT A TYPO ... are not only the most profitable team in MLB for 2013 ...


BUT ... they are the most profitable team in BASEBALL HISTORY!!!!

So they aren't exactly going to be motivated to improve their roster anytime soon. Draft/auction an Astro? Buyer beware ...things look grim on the horizon with these types of numbers!

http://tracking.si.com/2013/08/26/houst ... xid=si_mlb

[Todd Zola]

FWIW -- there's several reports disputing the validity of the Forbes contention.

[da_big_kid_94]

If I were anyone in Astroland, I certainly would. Kinda like "How can you count NESN or YES in our net worth??" Just another example the dichotomy of baseball - the worst team makes the most money. Forbes has put out these articles for years - and there's always a challenge or two - primarily due to the truth seeing the light of day and the ensuing red faces.

[Todd Zola]

I'll put the Astros revenue somewhere between highest in the league and more than most think.

[Trav The Ump]

Does it matter? Someone has to make the most money in MLB. It looks like the Astro's have a long term plan currently and if they make a few bucks while executing it I wouldn't begrudge them that.

Now the on field product this year is terrible, however with the league switch and tough division I think within a couple of years they will be back to respectability and still making money. Good on them.

[da_big_kid_94]

And just why does it look like they have a long term plan, Trav? Because that's what they said in a press release? Pittsburgh and Kansas City did the exact same thing for years. KC's long term plans still hasn't borne fruit. Pittsburgh may have finally turned the corner or they could be a one year wonder like San Diego was a few years prior. Loria is continually trying to do so. It's to the point now where we are no longer rewarding mediocrity - we're rewarding abject failure!!

Just contemplate this statement for a minute; "A MLB team with a record of 44-91 with a winning percentage of .326 (currently the worst in MLB as of this writing) is the most profitable team in the HISTORY of Major League Baseball."

Someone does have to make the most money in MLB this year - but not for the all time record in a single year - not with those credentials. But once again the fans trot out like lemmings and lets themselves get taken with eyes wide open.

[Captain Hook]

And just why does it look like they have a long term plan, Trav?.

Because Jeff Luhnow is much better than anyone who was/is on the Royals front office staff

[Todd Zola]

I believe all their minor league teams are in the playoffs which speaks to something.

[da_big_kid_94]

That's all very well and good - and they do seemingly have a few top prospects in the pipeline - but I refer you to the Chicago Cubs and the diamonds in the rough they kept pumping out for years as just one example ... and how they turned out to be cubic zirconia when they got to the majors. The Astros did do very well in the minors this year (9th overall by Baseball Prospectus) - but it's also rare that minor league teams get to keep virtually their entire rosters intact all season long. It could be that management feels why rush them and they are showing very good discipline - in which case I commend them. It could also be a similar situation to the poor record - profit sharing discussion we had a few years back. They are reaping up front cash for a situation that does not currently exist for them, and keeping these kids in the minors extends the shelf life of the current profitability by one more year. That is another possibility - also means that expectations for these players may be delayed another year - something the Royals may be finding out this year.

Many a GM who gushed about the down on the farm boys are literally now down on the farm themselves. I understand an organization needing to hype something positive to their fan base and this is one way to do it. It's simply not a panacea here no matter what the press release says or who's running the show.

[Trav The Ump]

I guess my thought is I look at it much less from a "baseball" perspective and much more so as a business manager (also my day job) and I think hey, if I owned the 'Stros I'd be pretty happy with my GM. Bringing in tons of cash, living off of the goodwill from the league change and the fans aren't at the gates with pitchforks and torches.

Now if that changes, one would assume over time the fans will stop enjoying a brutal baseball team, the revenue from advertising/ tv will diminish. Tickets sales will go down, merchandise will slide etc. Then we might have a problem. However baseball is a business and right now they are winning the world series of dollars. Steinbrenner seemed to prefer rings over dollars, however one of course follows the other (we assume). But I'd venture 28 other (non World Series winning, Astros) owners would like their GM to have this title if they couldn't get the league title. I'm guessing a few of them might even prefer it.

I don't like to compare teams like the Buc's and Royals. Inept management is inept management and will usually permeate through an organization. I've had bosses I think are brilliant, morons and in between however their bosses judged them at the end of the day on dollars and cents.

(Also being Canadian I'm a huge hockey fan, and if you've followed the Phoenix Coyotes saga over the past five years I wish there was articles about terrible teams doing well. NHL seems to bleed money in these lacklustre markets/ poor teams. Good on the MLB for having a business model that can sustain even the terrible teams.)

[da_big_kid_94]

I guess my thought is I look at it much less from a "baseball" perspective and much more so as a business manager (also my day job) and I think hey, if I owned the 'Stros I'd be pretty happy with my GM. Bringing in tons of cash, living off of the goodwill from the league change and the fans aren't at the gates with pitchforks and torches.

I have no problem with anyone looking at it that way, Trav. Yes, I may be happy with my GM this year - but if I were CEO or on the board, I'd be asking this; "When this isn't a shiny new penny next year, what are you going to do then? You are making tons of money for us off an inferior product but what are you going to do for us when its the same inferior product next year as it was this year?"

Now if that changes, one would assume over time the fans will stop enjoying a brutal baseball team, the revenue from advertising/ tv will diminish. Tickets sales will go down, merchandise will slide etc. Then we might have a problem. However baseball is a business and right now they are winning the world series of dollars. Steinbrenner seemed to prefer rings over dollars, however one of course follows the other (we assume). But I'd venture 28 other (non World Series winning, Astros) owners would like their GM to have this title if they couldn't get the league title. I'm guessing a few of them might even prefer it.

Baseball is a business, no doubt. But Houston save for the signing of Alltuve (and not exactly for a mountain of cash, might I say) is not exactly racing towards respectability.

I don't like to compare teams like the Buc's and Royals. Inept management is inept management and will usually permeate through an organization. I've had bosses I think are brilliant, morons and in between however their bosses judged them at the end of the day on dollars and cents.

But I feel you must ...and it may not be attributable to inept management in the current environment. You said it yourself - "... owners would like their GM to have this title if they couldn't get the league title. I'm guessing a few of them might even prefer it. " With a new owner and some sort of deal to move from Selig, who's to say the Astros don't fit the business model?

(Also being Canadian I'm a huge hockey fan, and if you've followed the Phoenix Coyotes saga over the past five years I wish there was articles about terrible teams doing well. NHL seems to bleed money in these lacklustre markets/ poor teams. Good on the MLB for having a business model that can sustain even the terrible teams.)

Believe me, some of us still remember Pocklington. Then again, some of us are half maritimers.