The Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown on Monday, leaving the organization without a clear baseball operations leader. Owner Jim Crane is technically running the front office with input from the team’s three assistant general managers — Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey, and Connor Huff — plus senior advisor Jeff Bagwell.
While the club’s announcement framed it as a mutual parting of ways, it’s clear the owner made the decision. Crane acknowledged as much in a chat with reporters this afternoon (transcribed by Chandler Rome of The Athletic), saying Brown was “disappointed” by the decision but handled it professionally. The GM was in the final year of his contract, and Crane said the organization was not “where (they) wanted to be” when asked why they wanted to move on.
Crane didn’t specify a timeline for a new hire. He noted that they’re unlikely to seriously begin the hiring process until the end of the season, as they’d otherwise be unable to contact many external candidates. Crane declined to answer when asked directly if Bagwell was under consideration, saying only that the Astros “don’t have any candidates at this point (and) haven’t even started looking.”
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For now, Bagwell remains in the same senior advisor role which he’s held since April 2023. The franchise legend and Hall of Famer had worked in a less formal role before that and had reportedly taken on considerable influence in baseball operations, particularly after the team on from former GM James Click at the end of their 2022 World Series season.
Bagwell doesn’t have any experience running a baseball operations department. That traditionally hasn’t been an issue for Crane, whose three GM hires (Jeff Luhnow, Click, and Brown) were all first timers. The owner suggested he was open to that path again, saying “experience is valuable but not necessary.”
Crane’s three previous GM hires all came from outside the organization. Luhnow had been in a vice president role with the Cardinals. Click was a vice president of baseball operations with the Rays. Brown had been the vice president of scouting with the Braves.
The owner didn’t commit to making another external hire. Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggested on Monday that Bagwell and Cook, in particular, could get serious consideration. Nightengale wrote that the Astros could also try to poach an executive from a small-market franchise that has traditionally had success (e.g. Rays, Brewers or Guardians).
Robert Murray of FanSided also speculates that the Astros could look to the Milwaukee front office. Former GMs Matt Klentak and Billy Eppler are part of the Brewers organization in advisory roles. Murray writes that Brewers assistant GM Matt Kleine, who was promoted to that role over the 2023-24 offseason, might also receive consideration. Kleine overlapped in Milwaukee with David Stearns, who’d been an assistant GM under Luhnow in Houston prior to joining the Brewers.
The Astros are the third AL West team to make a GM change in as many months. Unlike the Angels and Athletics, Houston is very much alive in the playoff picture. Tonight’s win over the Yankees pulled them back to .500 and into a tie with the Rangers for first place. Every team in the division has had a disappointing year. That leaves the door open for any of Houston, Texas or Seattle to sneak into the playoffs, and there’s still an outside chance one overtakes the AL Central winner to secure a first-round bye. Two of the top three teams in the American League — the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox — will need to settle for Wild Card berths.
