Astros News: Dana Brown's trade deadline stance, Former first-round pick signs, Dan Hennigan

Short of the sky falling, the Houston Astros were going to be buyers at the 2026 trade deadline. Dana Brown needs the Astros to reach the postseason in order to save his job, assuming his fate hasn't already been decided, and that instantly ruled out the idea of a sell-off.

Brown doubling down on that mindset over the weekend wasn't earth-shattering news, but certainly is more of an indicator of the type of moves to expect at the deadline. In other words, don't expect the Astros to thread the needle between buying and selling with a move that includes shipping out shortstop Jeremy Peña.

For better or worse, Dana Brown put his trade deadline cards on the table

“The division is wide open. The wild card is wide open. There’s some parity there. There’s a lot of teams bunched up,” Brown said on Sunday. “I think the team that gets hot is going to be the team that takes the run. We would anticipate that we’re going to be buyers.”

Of course, this can also be viewed as Brown setting the stage for his departure. If the Astros buy at the deadline and miss the postseason, like they did last season, there's no excuse he can sell for why he should keep his job.

Astros sign former Los Angeles Angels first-round pick Matt Thaiss

The Astros made a move to bolster their catching depth over the weekend, signing former Los Angeles Angels first-round pick Matt Thaiss to a minor-league deal. The hype surrounded the Angels taking Thaiss in the first round of the 2017 never materialized in the majors. He carried an .655 OPS with the Angels after six season, and his cup of coffee with the Chicago White Sox last season didn't yield better results.

Catching depth can be a commodity for a major league team, and if nothing else, Thaiss does give the Astros another experienced option in the event of an injury to Yainer Diaz or Christian Vazquez.

Dan Hennigan's potential departure could create rare in-season Astros' front office change

In-season changes aren't exactly common practice for the Astros, but circumstances this season could lead to one happening The Athletic's Chandler Rome reports that offensive coordinator Dan Hennigan is being pursued by Wake Forest, and the two sides remain in discussion about a potential role with the university.

Hennigan has a direct hand in the Astros' offensive approach this season, and as noted by Rome, is well liked within the organization. The Astros are making efforts to keep him in place, but this could be an instance where the uncertainty that surrounds the front office after this season works against them.

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