Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle reports that Astros owner Drayton McLane says it's time to strengthen the franchise by commiting to "young talent." The Astros are a veteran team, in last place with a 23-29 record, so McLane says he wants to focus on building from the bottom up:
"We have to make a stronger investment and smarter picks in the draft. You've got to invest in young talent. To do that, you need patience, and that's hard for me."
McLane has tried to keep the Astros in contention every year and he says he hasn't given up on a 2009 comeback, but he understands reinvesting in youth won't necessarily lead to instant results.
"That doesn't always happen in baseball. We spend $4MM to $6MM in the draft every year, but we haven't always made good decisions."
McLane adds that he wants Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman to retire as Astros. Oswalt is not on the block and McLane says he'd try to talk either player out of requesting a trade if they ever approached him about a deal.
