Even during the introductory press conference for Tatsuya Imai, Houston Astros' owner Jim Crane couldn't help but cast a cloud over the team's long-term outlook. Crane didn't exactly sound eager to go over the first level of the CBT this season, and he also doesn't appear to be in a rush to offer an extension to general manager Dana Brown or manager Joe Espada.
Crane has always been the wild card when talking about Houston's operation, and history would suggest he doesn't make a decision until he has to.
To start the offseason, when faced with the speculation that Brown or Espada might both might be fired, the Astros owner didn't give a ringing endorsement.