Astros next owner looks to increase team's presence in Dominican Republic

Astros ownership could change hands as soon as next week, and the new owner should continue to increase the team's presence in the Dominican Republic.  General Manager Ed Wade has made inroads in the country and convinced current owner to make some big deals regarding Dominican players.

They currently have five pitchers on the big league roster that come from the country, most notably Wandy Rodriguez.  The Dominican Baseball Guy recently blogged about the rest of the pitchers and some minor leaguers in the Astros system that are Dominican, so you can see that here.

Recently, the Astros gave 16-year-old  Ariel Ovando a $2.6 million signing bonus, which was the second highest signing bonus handed to a Dominican prospect last year.  They expect to see him in the big leagues as soon as 2015.

So, regarding the Astros presence in the Dominican Republic, Ed Wade seems to have done a good job.  Other insiders say he has done a decent job of rebuilding the club in other areas.  Probable owner Jim Crane will have to decide if Wade has done well enough to keep his job.