Houston Astros: Make A Splash, Drayton!

Come on Drayton, make a move!

I'm a big believer in building a franchise from the ground up, and historically speaking, at least from an Astros point of view, big free agent acquisitions don't spell success. 

But for someone like Drayton McLane, Jr., owner of the Houston Astros, who has a dedicated interest in bringing in fans, with or without team success, free agency is the way to go.

Now I'm not saying just any free agent—I'm referring to the handful of players who, around the league, equal success at the gate and create a buzz in the city. 

I remember when the Astros signed Nolan Ryan. They had just completed the mediocre 1970's decade, but had some talent starting with Joe Neikro and J.R. Richard.  When Nolan was signed, the buzz in the city was unparalleled in Houston baseball history, and it showed at the gate. 

Fast forward to Roger Clemens, and the same thing happened.  Now I know what you're thinking: these were hometown boys coming home and that created the energy, but I disagree in some ways.  Ryan and Clemens were the type of players that created energy everywhere they played due to name recognition, their contribution to the game, and their personality.

In any generation, there are only a few that could create that buzz.  In today's game, Albert Pujols can, A-Rod maybe, but the best of all might be Manny Ramirez.  Love him or hate him, the buzz at the ballpark and in the city would be off the charts.  Season tickets would sell, and fans would go to the ballpark in droves.  Oh yeah, he can still rake, and he's available.

Of course, many details would need to play themselves out, including how to work with an outfield of Carlos Lee and Man-Ram. But the gate, the fan interest, the buzz in the city—that equates to a desire to be at the game, generates revenue at the gate, and puts the Astros back in the headlines, which is Drayton's dream fulfilled. 

If you're not going to win (which you may just do in spite of yourself) at least make the team worth going to see.