Round Rock Express President Chris Almendarez said Monday night that as long as minor league baseball is being played in 2021, the Round Rock Express will be in action. But it will not be as the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. We learned that much on Monday night, when reports were released, announcing the Astros' intent to move their AAA club to Sugar Land, Texas, the current home of the Sugar Land Skeeters, who play in the Atlantic League, an independent league.
The move is a trademark decision that few saw coming. But as CBS Austin's Bob Ballou reported in the above tweet, Astros' owner Jim Crane always wanted to own his AAA team, and it makes sense that the team's management would have its highest minor league team in the same city as the big league club.
Regardless, the Express were always ranked as one of the top teams in minor league baseball, No. 7 in total attendance in the MILB in 2019, and had partnered with the Astros from 2000-2010, and then, more recently, in 2019.
No matter how it happened, Round Rock, is for now, without a team. But if Dell Diamond sits empty come summer, I will be extremely surprised. There are multiple possibilities for which MLB team could move its AAA team to Round Rock. The most likely candidate is the Texas Rangers, who were in Round Rock from 2011-2018, before moving to Nashville for the 2019 season. It makes sense logistically, with the Rangers' fanbase strongest in the Lone Star State. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported late on Monday night that the Rangers and Express were nearing a deal. More details are likely to come in the next few days, but with several months until the season is set to begin, Round Rock has ample time to weigh their possibilities and make sure the high level of baseball that has always been in the city continues in the years to come.
For now, Round Rock is the top free agent on the minor league market.
Almendarez told Ballou: "The Ryan Sanders baseball group loves being in central Texas. This is how they started their businesses and we're doing the best we can to get ready for the '21 season ... we've got the best ownership group in all of baseball."
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