Pecyna: Astros should not be criticized for massive profit in poor season

In news that should shock absolutely no one, there is another ethical dilemma in Major League Baseball.

Steroids and biogenesis take a backseat for the moment, as Forbes reported earlier this week that the Houston Astros will make about $99 million in operating income on the season — a figure greater than that of the past six World Series winners combined.

The author of the Forbes story, Dan Alexander, explains that operating income is “the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.”

Of course, there is nothing wrong with a baseball team making tons of money, which is why people still pay to see games while wearing team apparel.

The Astros have the lowest payroll in the league at just more than $21 million — a figure about $14 million below the next closest team — and own a putrid 44-86 record. These shortcomings are the source of consternation. This likely would not be a story if it were the Dodgers hauling in almost $100 million, though, because they have a 2013 payroll upwards of $220 million.

The majority of Houston’s revenue comes from an $80 million TV deal with Comcast SportsNet Houston to broadcast the games.

The Astros have released a statement denying the numbers Forbes reported, saying the story was “significantly inaccurate” regarding “the Astros’ revenues, the Astros’ media rights fee from CSN Houston and CSN Houston’s per-subscriber rate.”

Even after the popularity of “Moneyball,” even after the Tampa Bay Rays’ run of success in the past five years and even after the late-’90s, early-2000s Marlins’ five-year plan that had them in playoff contention, the baseball world still does not understand that sometimes certain teams should rebuild.

That certain team happens to be Houston, and the time happens to be now.

Alexander writes in his article, “If the Astros were to use their current gains to pay for future players, $99 million could make a huge difference. The Astros could have taken on the contracts of the entire starting lineup for the National League All-Star team this year for just $84 million.”

But $99 million buys no guaranteed wins, and adding one marquee player to Houston’s roster would be like dispatching one firefighter to a five-alarm blaze. The $84 million salary of the All-Stars only accounts for this year, though many of those players have expensive, long-term deals.

So what’s so wrong with the Astros rebuilding? Shouldn’t we be above thinking that dollars amount to wins?

Last offseason, the Marlins splurged on free-agent signings to increase their payroll to about $95 million for 2012 — close to the value Alexander says would be critical to improving Houston. That total bought the Marlins a .426 win percentage and a last-place finish in the NL East. 

The Marlins spent with little reserve in hopes the fans would flock to a new, taxpayer-funded stadium. Unfortunately, their inability to win thwarted their plan, and Miami shed almost $150 million in payroll after the 2012 season.

The Astros allocated their money where rebuilding teams should, spending millions in areas such as the draft and international free agency. They held the first overall pick for the second-straight season and selected Stanford pitcher Mark Appel, who signed with the team for $6.35 million. Appel was regarded as one of the top three players in the draft pool, yet Houston got him for less than the amount the Chicago Cubs paid for the No. 2 pick, Kris Bryant.

That scenario is telling: The Astros are savvy, not cheap, and they know that winning organizations can be built at a relatively low cost when facets of the game like player development and scouting are stressed.

Astros owner Jim Crane told ESPN The Magazine in June 2013, “Once our minor league system is filled in, we’ll move up into the top five or 10 in payroll.”

After inheriting a stash of prospects bereft of any impact talent in 2011, Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and his staff have a top-10 farm system, featuring future impact players like Appel.

Maybe Houston can use this year’s supposedly massive profits in a few seasons after the system’s talent is restocked. Something about the Astros’ rebuilding decisions tells me that has been their plan all along.