ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the idea of reassigning the Houston Astros to the American League is gaining some traction.
As it stands, there are 14 teams in the American League and 16 in the National League. From an odds perspective, teams playing in the NL Central have a 1 in 6 chance of winning the division. Teams playing in the AL West have a 1 in 4 chance.
The idea of reassigning the Astros makes sense from a balance perspective, while creating a natural rivalry with the Texas Rangers. As it stands, the Astros don't have a rivalry of any kind in the National League.
The biggest sticking point, according to Olney, is how interleague play would be handled. It could create an undesirable scenario come end-of-season.
This move is by no means a done-deal, but is interesting timing given the Astros ownership situation. A fresh outlook in a new league may be more inviting to a potential owner.
Here's the link to Olney's post.
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