Astros, GM Dana Brown 'Part Ways' Despite Being No. 1 Seed in AL West Standings

The Houston Astros announced Monday they reached a mutual agreement to relieve general manager Dana Brown of his duties.

"Over the past four seasons, Dana has helped our organization win two division titles and has led our baseball front office through key scouting, draft and development efforts," owner Jim Crane said. "On behalf of the Astros, I want to thank him for his commitment, energy, and contributions to our organization. We wish he and his family the best."

The move comes as the Astros are tied for first place in the American League West, though they're a game under .500 (65-66).

Brown's departure has been a long time coming.

Back in June 2024, The Athletic's Chandler Rome wrote how there were questions over how much authority the GM had behind the scenes. Special advisors Reggie Jackson, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio were providing their own input on personnel moves.

Going back two more years, before Brown was hired, Bagwell weighed in to say the organization had leaned too much on analytics despite that approach helping to deliver a pair of World Series titles.

The Hall of Fame first baseman is now part of the group that will share Brown's usual everyday duties.

The Astros' record has steadily gotten worse since their last World Series win in 2022. They registered 90, 88 and 87 wins over the next three years, and now they're on track for their worst finish in a full 162-game season since 2014. Winning the AL West wouldn't hide the fact the roster isn't good enough right now.

Brown undoubtedly has a role in that, but he's not solely to blame for the state of the franchise.

A downturn was inevitable as the key players from their 2017 championship team got older and too expensive to retain over time. The organizational shift in team-building strategy hasn't been a net-positive, either.

Bagwell played a role in the disastrous signing of José Abreu during the 2023 offseason. Crane helped influence the return of Carlos Correa at the 2025 trade deadline, and Correa's sizable contract is aging worse and worse.

In general, the results from Houston's win-now moves speak for themselves. They have a top-10 payroll and one of MLB's worst farm systems. That's a rough combination for a team that looks so far away from seriously contending.

The obvious concern as it relates to the Astros' GM search is whether Crane is willing to let Brown's replacement execute a long-term plan as they see fit.