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Astros Notes: Crane, Smith, Wade

Longtime owner Drayton McLane has agreed to sell the Astros to a group led by Houston businessman Jim Crane. Both McLane and Crane addressed the media today, though the sale hasn't been approved by MLB owners. Here's the latest:

• Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle guesses that president of business operations Pam Gardner and president of baseball operations Tal Smith, two of McLane’s most trusted advisors, “will be fired within six months.” 
• Justice says he doesn’t know if Rays exec and Houston native Andrew Friedman will want to come home and run the Astros, but he points out that the opportunity could very well arise. If Friedman stays put, the Astros will likely pursue an assistant general manager “out of the same mold.”
• Crane says the Astros "will try to be smart and spend money wisely,” according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). “It starts with the draft," Crane said. "We need to make sure we're building a team for the future." 
• GM Ed Wade introduced himself to Crane after today’s press conference, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner (Twitter links). Wade had never met Crane before.
• Wade told Goff that if the sale is approved on time, it could have a “major effect” on the Astros’ approach to trades this July.

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