Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Chasing their second World Series title in three years, the Houston Astros could soon lose one of their most important players because of payroll concerns.

Per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, owner Jim Crane said the Astros "may make a run" to re-sign Gerrit Cole but indicated they would prefer to stay under Major League Baseball's luxury-tax threshold.

"We'll see where we end up after the year," he said. "We may make a run at it. We're not sure yet. We're going to wait and see what else unfolds and who else is going to stay on the team."

Per MLB.com, the luxury tax for 2020 is set at $208 million. Houston already has $156.4 million committed to just eight players next season and an estimated payroll of $207.9 million factoring in arbitration-eligible players and options, per Baseball Reference.

General manager Jeff Luhnow seemed to prepare for the possibility of Cole's leaving as a free agent when he acquired Zack Greinke, who is signed through 2021, from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31. The Astros also gave Justin Verlander a two-year extension in March to prevent him from hitting the open market after the season.

George Springer, Roberto Osuna and Carlos Correa are among the key players who are scheduled to go through arbitration.

Cole will hit free agency at an opportune time. The 29-year-old has posted a 2.68 ERA with 285 hits allowed and 602 strikeouts in 412.2 innings since joining the Astros in 2018. He could also win his first Cy Young Award this season after leading the American League with a 2.50 ERA and the majors with 326 strikeouts.