Astros insider hints that Jim Crane could again be an obstacle at trade deadline

Everything about the Houston Astros right now screams "buy" at this year's MLB trade deadline. Importantly, the Astros lead the American League West and have some very obviously roster needs that GM Dana Brown could (and should) address in order to shore the team up for the stretch run later this summer. Unfortunately, the presence of owner Jim Crane could be an impediment once again.

While certainly not the worst owner in baseball, Crane has certainly caused the club problems at times. He ran James Click out of town, took over Houston's personnel decisions — which was a disaster — and then made Brown clean up his mess. More than that, though, is the fact that he's extremely hesitant to pay any luxury tax penalties.

Crane's view on the luxury tax threshold presents a real problem and, as Astros insider Chandler Rome of The Athletic correctly noted in his Astros trade deadline primer (subscription required), it could keep Houston from doing what they need to do at this year's MLB trade deadline.

Jim Crane's hesitance to exceed the luxury tax could doom Astros at the MLB trade deadline

No one should be arguing that Crane is cheap, per se, as the Astros can and do spend money in free agency and with contract extensions. If you want to find the real cheapskate owners, go look at the A's, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Colorado Rockies for starters. However, Crane has only paid luxury tax penalties once. That came last season, which is where things get sticky.

If Houston were to exceed the luxury tax in 2025, the Astros would have to pay a tax of 30% on any overage as a repeat offender — that is money right out of Crane's pocket. The Astros are extremely close to the luxury tax threshold — between $2 million and $4 million away depending on where you look — which creates an extremely tough balancing act between finding help at the trade deadline and keeping the big boss man happy.

So yes, the Astros could use at least one more left-handed bat. Adding some pitching depth would be nice to guard against even more injuries the rest of the way. Finding someone who can provide value at second base would be lovely. Unfortunately, they may not be able to afford to do anything about it without having to cut costs elsewhere.

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