VIDEO: Astros Owner Jim Crane Admits Zack Greinke Move Makes Re-Signing Gerrit Cole More Difficult

By going away from the new normal in Major League Baseball and actually being aggressive in trying to improve its team ahead of a playoff run, the Houston Astros made themselves a potential favorite to win the World Series in 2019. But might that have some ramifications? While talking to the media Friday, Astros owner Jim Crane addressed Gerrit Cole's upcoming free agency and admitted that signing the young hurler will be tough after taking on $53 million of Greinke's contract for the next two and a half years.

Cole is free to to sign with any team this offseason, and there will no doubt be a plethora of squads interested in signing the top pitcher on the market. Teams like the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees are known to have had interest in Cole in the past.

Starters Wade Miley and Collin McHugh are also free agents after the year, leaving Houston with a potential 2020 rotation of Greinke, Justin Verlander, Aaron Sanchez, Brad Peacock and Lance McCullers Jr. coming off of Tommy John surgery.

That rotation is not the worst, but could definitely be strengthened especially for a team with World Series aspirations. The team could backload a potential Cole contract, giving him more money after Greinke's contract is off the books.

However, Houston will have to deal with the upcoming potential free agency of George Springer and a $20 million raise to Jose Altuve after this season.

The Astros will be facing a financial crunch in upcoming seasons. General manager Jeff Luhnow will thus be put to the test to keep his farm system strong for future trades and to reap the benefits of cheap stars.