Completing the Rangers-Astros Rivalry

Bud Selig is an absolute genius. Not only did he orchestra one of the greatest acts of extortion in MLB history, but he has created the rivalry of the 21st century. Jim Crane is already a benefactor of Selig's criminal nature. Now, he can benefit from phase 2 of the plan.

So far, this story is pretty one-sided. The Texas Rangers have OWNED the Houston Astros. During the Astros' 111-loss season, the Rangers claimed 17 of 19 victories. Things were above-average in 2014, with the Astros actually taking the season series, with 11 wins against 8 losses. In 2015, both teams made the playoffs, but you could say that the Astros 6-13 record against Texas was the difference in losing the division versus winning.

The 2016 campaign is much like the 2013 season, at least with the competitiveness between the Rangers and Astros. Or, lack of competitiveness. But their current 1-9 record is not as abysmal as the 2013 season for one reason. The Astros 2013 performance against the Rangers was a -57 run differential; the equivalent of trailing in 19 games by 3 runs. This season, however, has seen the Astros kind of be on the same run pace as the Rangers, with a margin of 1.7 runs per game.

So how do the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros become a rivalry for the ages? Well, as we approach the All-Star Break, the Rangers have a 53-34 record. That mark leads the Astros pace by 6.5 games, with the Houston club owning a respectable 46-40 win-loss despite the horrendous start to the season.

The answer to making the Rangers-Astros rivalry significant comes with the Houston Astros winning the 2016 World Series. Not only does the recipe require that to happen, but the Astros must trade either Carlos Correa or Jose Altuve to the Rangers in the upcoming offseason. On exactly January 5, 2017.

Trading Jose Altuve makes the most sense. He has been with the Astros since the 2011 season; the year the rebuild really kicked off. He isn't even a Luhnow draftee! How can he possibly be a member of the Astros future? The best part of trading Altuve is his tremendous present value. He is ridiculously cheap for the next 3 seasons. In 2017, he will earn $4.5 million dollars. With team options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the Rangers would only have to pay $12.5 million dollars for those two seasons. Since a $1,251,455.02 (2016 worth of $100,000 in 2020) auction price is a little low, the Rangers will probably be fine with sending their entire High-A roster to the Astros system.

Every piece of the puzzle is falling into place. Hell, even Scott Boras has entered the charade, as he has become Jose Altuve's agent. With Altuve's value only rising as he reiterates his status as the best second baseman in MLB, the clock to trade him is ticking.

The winner of this sweepstakes will be the Texas Rangers, because Bud Selig's plan to make the Astros and Rangers rivalry the game's best will soon come to fruition.