Dana Brown may've cost the Astros their future (but there's still time for redemption)

While there have been some bright spots, the Houston Astros' flaws are on full display so far in 2026. The fallings in the starting rotation are currently dragging the team down and threaten to derail the club's playoff aspirations and confirm that the window of contention has officially closed.

Given the way things ended last season and the state of the aging roster, it would've made sense if GM Dana Brown started looking to the future during this past offseason, but with a bottom-ranked farm system, that wasn't something that would've happened organically. In order to lean into a rebuild, Brown would have had to trade away the prime chips that he had at his disposal.

However, as a lame duck general manager with an owner who wants to win, Brown didn't have much choice but to roll with what he had and try to compete. It would have been much easier if Crane actually wanted to spend the money required to fill the club's glaring holes, but alas, this is the reality Houston lives in.

There's still time for Dana Brown to lean into an Astros' rebuild

With a pitching staff that's in the cellar, Brown and the Astros are regretting their decision to not add a veteran starter over the winter, though again, the budgetary restrictions placed on Brown made that a nearly impossible task.

Brown leaned into keeping the band together at the expense of Houston's future during the offseason, but if the pitching continues to derail the club's hopes of competing, perhaps he can change Crane's mind.

If that happens, it's not too late for him to cash in his chips. Jeremy Peña feels like a prime trade chip given the difficulty the team has had in extension talks, though he'll need to get healthy first. Isaac Paredes also seems like a goner, though he'll have to start hitting in order to maximize his value.

On the other hand, Christian Walker's sizzling start has transformed him from albatross to desirable asset. Jake Meyers could revive the offseason trade rumors, too, though he'll need to get healthy and show that last year was not a fluke to truly be viable at this point. If the Astros truly want to tear it down, Yordan Alvarez's bounce back from an injury-plagued 2025 could yield a real haul.

Some players won't be tradeable. Jose Altuve's off to a great start, but at his age and with his contract, finding a home would be very difficult. Carlos Correa is in a similar boat. That's not the worst thing in the world. Every youth movement needs veteran stewards to see them through.

Cam Smith's potential breakout could give the Astros a building block for the future. Clearing out veterans would give Brice Matthews more runway to establish himself as well. The Astros will need a lot more young talent than those two, but if they had a deadline fire sale, they could do a decent job restocking the coffers.

We're a long way away from arriving at this conclusion. More importantly, it might be tough for Brown to convince Crane that this is the best path forward and still keep his job in 2027 and beyond, but if he does, perhaps the Astros future won't be as bleak as it currently seems.

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