Financial Crunch
Houston Astros confront tough decisions as revenue takes a hit
Dec 19, 2023, 2:43 pm
Teams are reportedly calling about Framber Valdez and his availability. Composite Getty Image.
So why is a baseball team in America’s fourth-largest city, with the local economy booming, that plays in a clean, comfortable stadium with lots of parking, that charges the 5th-highest prices for tickets, beer and hot dogs, the value of the team has nearly quadrupled, and is riding a dynasty of success on the field … singing the blues over money problems and the general manager was practically wearing a barrel and suspenders at baseball’s winter meetings?
It all comes down to local TV revenue, where the Astros are closer to the small market Brewers and Marlins than they are to the Yankees and Dodgers. Because the Astros had to create a new TV network – Space City Home Network — in partnership with the Houston Rockets due to the demise of AT&T SportsNet SW, the team’s broadcast revenue is expected to drop by tens of millions of dollars. Make that many tens of millions of dollars.
With revenue taking a hit like that, something has to give, and it will be the Astros payroll. That’s why the Astros have all but admitted they will say goodbye to Alex Bregman when his contract expires at the end of the next season, and No. 2 starter Framber Valdez could reportedly be available in a trade.
The Astros payroll currently sits at just above the MLB luxury tax threshold of $273 million, with Kyle Tucker’s big-ticket future with the Astros looming. The Astros have busted the luxury tax paywall only once since Jim Crane bought the Astros in 2011.
According to Forbes, the value of the Astros stands at $2.25 billion, almost four times what Crane paid for the team. Big Macs and homes in West University Place haven’t gone up that much.
We know the numbers by heart: since 2017 the Astros have won six American League West titles, seven ALCS appearances, four World Series appearances, two championships. The Astros drew more than 3 million fans paying premium prices to root, root, root for the home team.
I used to tell my Little League teams, you guys are so lucky to be born when you did. You get to watch an incredibly talented baseball team with great players who do nothing except win the past seven seasons.
There are less fortunate kids who live in cities where the team plays like Bizarro Astros. Imagine if you had to watch the Kansas City Royals or Detroit Tigers those same seven years. Both are riding seven-year streaks of losing records. And their best players get the hell out of Dodge the minute they can.
Yes, the Astros have lost a bundle of top stars in recent years without making a sincere effort to keep them. Carlos Correa, Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, George Springer, Charlie Morton and others left Houston for greener – as in money – pastures. But somehow the Astros found new stars to replace them and kept winning.
We still have Jose Altuve, Tucker, Verlander, Valdez, Bregman, Pena, Pressly, McCormick and more. We, the Astros, should be all right for 2024. To infinity and beyond? That’s another question.
One prediction guaranteed to come true next season: if you attend an Astros game and get a hankering for a beer and a dog … check your credit card limit first.
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Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.
The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.
For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.
“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”
As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.
Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.
He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.
Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.
It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.
You can watch the full interview in the video below.
And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.
I’ve seen some speculation indicating that Joe Mixon may not be happy the Texans signed Nick Chubb. If that is what you believe, watch this clip from an interview with @greenlight pod last year & get back to me. pic.twitter.com/3vaip85esj
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) June 11, 2025
*ChatGPT assisted.
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