Dana Brown's comments just turned Astros spring training into a ticking time bomb

Houston Astros GM Dana Brown has had all winter to figure out how to declutter the roster, but with less than a week remaining before pitchers and catchers head out to West Palm Beach for spring training, he's still got a mess on his hands.

The trade rumors have persisted throughout the offseason, but both Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes remain on the 40-man roster. It's painfully obvious the direction the Astros want to go — keep Paredes and trade Walker — but other teams aren't biting.

Brown was asked about the possibility of trading one of his corner infielders, and his response was both awkward and revealing. “Right now, both of them are still part of our roster, and we have plans for both of them to play,” Brown said on Tuesday. “Right now, our plan is for both of them to be there.”

The Astros have to trade Christian Walker or Isaac Paredes before Opening Day

In case you missed it, "right now" Brown expects both players to be on the roster when position players report to camp. Well then, perhaps Brown better get on the phone "right now" and figure out how to get a deal done before this thing goes sideways.

Walker's first season in Houston obviously didn't go as planned. His post-All-Star numbers (.250/.312/.488 with a 120 wRC+) notwithstanding, the Astros free agent splash was more of a dud, and fans have already had enough. But every other MLB team saw the collapse as well, and with $40 million left on his contract, it's easy to see why opposing GMs have no desire to trade for the aging first baseman.

Paredes, on the other hand, was a player the Astros have had their eye on for years, and they finally brought him onboard last winter. His swing is perfect for Daikin Park, and while Houston has no intention of trading him, they're far more likely to get a quality return for Paredes rather than Walker.

As Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required) mentioned in a recent column, this is beginning to feel like the Ryan Pressly-Josh Hader saga all over again. Astros fans know exactly how that ended, and it wasn't good.

This is a situation that didn't have to happen, and it's about to reach a breaking point if both Walker and Paredes walk into the Astros' spring training facility later this month. Every single lineup change, every single at-bat, and every single error will be heavily scrutinized, and the questions from inquiring minds in the media won't stop until one of Walker or Paredes is no longer on the roster.

The roster is cluttered, and it's time for Brown to do some spring cleaning. One of Walker or Paredes needs to go before this powder explodes.