Dana Brown's lame-duck status could throw a wrench in Astros' trade deadline plans

It's only fitting that when the Houston Astros are truly having an odd year, the same is true for most of the American League. The Astros are several games under .500 and with June approaching next week, normal circumstances would have Houston being ready to sell ahead of the MLB trade deadline later this summer.

There's a couple things wrong with that thought. The first being that for as bad as the Astros have been this season, they are less than five games out from first place in the American League West. By that definition, they are still contenders. Factor in that Hunter Brown is ramping up for a minor-league rehab assignment and Josh Hader is about to return to the bullpen, and the Astros could be in a position to make a run. Of course, it also helps that Yordan Álvarez is doing Yordan Álvarez things.

If we end the conversation there, it would make sense if the Astros consider themselves buyers at the deadline. Even if the Astros have the faintest scent of reaching the playoffs, some could say that is the current situation they are in, Jim Crane will mandate that any move made is with the intent of helping the 2026 team.

Where that becomes problematic is that it very much feels like being buyers at this summer's deadline would lead to similar disappointment the team experienced last September when they collapsed and fell short of making the playoffs. Mix in the reality that the Astros have an aging roster, and there's a stronger case to be made that the Astros should be sellers this season. There won't be many sellers, and the Astros could stand to take advantage of that reality.

The downside to Dana Brown's status and trajectory with the Astros

But the concept of the Astros being sellers at the deadline can't really be considered if Dana Brown is the one making the decisions. As The Athletic's Chandler Rome notes, Brown very much could be on the hot seat while navigating the Astros through the deadline. Given who his boss is, making the playoffs would seemingly be the only way Brown can save his job.

This was always going to be the problem with the Astros failing to provide any clarity on Brown's status before the 2026 season. What the Astros need to do may not be the same thing that Brown wants to do. And, if he's going down anyway, it's fair to speculate that the veteran general manager will go down with one last-ditch effort at the deadline.

It backfired last summer, considering the headaches that Carlos Correa's injury history and contract have now caused the Astros, and given Brown's track record, it's hard to imagine a different outcome this time around.

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