Astros Notes: Luhnow, Ely, Rebuilding

Here's the latest news from the American League's newest team….

• GM Jeff Luhnow's non-traditional baseball background, his history with the Cardinals and his belief in analytics are profiled by MLB.com's Richard Justice in a look at how Luhnow is exploring a wide range of methods to help rebuild the Astros.
• Before John Ely was traded to the Astros in December, the right-hander was going to sign a contract with a South Korean team, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.  Ely was looking for a chance to start since he knew he was far down the Dodgers' depth chart but is now excited about his opportunity with the Astros.
• While the Astros would love to match the Rays' rise from last place to being a consistent contender, Houston assistant GM David Stearns tells ESPN's Jayson Stark that the Astros "want to find the next advancement and to be ahead of the curve yourself" rather than specifically duplicating the Rays' process.  As Stearns notes, the Astros have a major advantage over the Rays in that Houston is able to support a large payroll when the time is right.