Astros GM Dana Brown won’t be fired with 2 years left on contract

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown won’t have the ax with the team falling significantly short of expectations to start the 2024 MLB season, according to USA todayIt’s Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale reported Sunday that Brown’s “job is safe” with two years remaining on his current contract.

The Astros are third in the American League West with a 32-39 record. They are nine games behind the first-place Seattle Mariners and are 6.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot.

Beyond his record, José Abreu’s release symbolizes the extent to which Houston has strayed from the team-building strategies that had served it so well under previous regimes.

Abreu was a shell of his former MVP after signing with the Astros ahead of the 2023 season. Josh Hader, who is in the first year of his five-year, $95 million contract, has a 3.82 ERA in 29 appearances. His compatriot Rafael Montero, who is set to earn another $11.5 million in 2025, represents sunk value at this point.

If you were to ask fans who is responsible for the Astros’ current situation, few people would put the general manager at the top of the list. They might even question Brown’s true culpability in building this team despite being the general manager.

Before Brown was even hired, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported in November 2022 how team owner Jim Crane was exerting more influence on front office matters, drawing a comparison to the owner/general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones. Crane also sought the addition of more “baseball guys” instead of the analytical staff that had largely come to populate the organization.

Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who became a senior advisor on baseball ownership and operations in April 2023, has become a key figure in this change.

To that end, firing Brown could bring even more attention to Crane. He would almost assuredly be read by many fans as the general manager’s scapegoated owner. There would be even more questions about who runs the front office.

Plus, making a general manager change midseason isn’t the thing that’s going to change the Astros’ fortunes, unless Brown’s replacement can explain why Alex Bregman is hitting .405 or provide a magic elixir for one. pitching staff that has been hammered by injuries.