Dana Brown’s goal of getting more offense out of Astros’ outfield has huge obstacle

Dana Brown knows the issue. The Houston Astros need more offense out of their outfield, and they’re going to be chasing it at the deadline, on the waiver wire, and maybe even at local pickup games. Okay, maybe not there, but they’re looking everywhere. Nobody who has watched this group through the first two and a half months could argue with him.

Houston’s outfielders have been among the least productive units in baseball, and Brown name-checking LaMonte Wade Jr. as a guy who could “bolster” the group tells you where they are. No shade to Wade, but that’s a rough spot to be. The catch, though, is that the obvious fix runs straight into a problem Brown has no real answer for, and that’s Cam Smith.

Cam Smith's glove is why the Astros can't solve their outfield offense problem

When Brown was asked about how he’d be able to address this on the fly, his first answer wasn’t to talk trade. It was to talk Smith. He mentioned how things could change if Smith heats up. Then he followed it by repeating what is by now a company line. He’s learning at the big league level. The flashes are real, but the inconsistency will get better. The reality is that it doesn’t seem like a deflection, but rather an actual look into where the front office thinks the offense is hiding. 

But that’s the obstacle because Smith has stopped hitting again. He had a genuinely encouraging stretch in late May when he looked like he might be putting it all together. It was a small sample, but a good one. We certainly thought it might be for real. But he’s gone cold again, hitting .200/.265/.356 in his most recent 13 games heading into the week. 

The season line is back to looking especially ugly. He’s hitting .218/.303/.356 throught the weekend. The power that briefly woke up has gone mostly cold. He doesn’t even hav estrong platoon splits to fall back on against one side. He has a wRC+ of 85 vs. lefties and 86 vs. righties. He’s no longer a lock for everyday at bats.

Of course, that’s if the goal is more offense from the outfield. The cleanest path is pretty obvious. It’s to stop playing him daily and hand the plate appearances to someone else who can hit more. The Astros did float the idea of sending him to Triple-A before the season started, so it’s not like it hasn’t been considered. And his offense would support the move.

But that’s also something they likely can’t do because he’s one of the best right fielders in all of baseball. He currently is second among right fielders in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and is first in Outs Above Average (OAA). He was a Gold Glove finalist in 2025 and has gotten better this year. His sprint speed, paired with his arm, makes him elite. It’s tough to put that on the bench every day, especially when the other options aren’t exactly hitting lights out either.

Plus, look at the rotation. Brown is finally willing to call it stabilized with Hunter Brown (no relation) coming back and Cristian Javier on the way, but it’s still a staff that’s largely patched together, and they can’t afford to give away outs. Even with Brown’s return to the rotation, there are still questionable pitchers getting the ball every fifth day. Defense behind them is a necessity, not a luxury. Every ball Smith gets to in the gap or a runner who doesn’t test his arm is huge. Take that glove out of the outfield, and it’s hard to know what things could look like. 

It’s a tough spot to be where the outfielder dragging down the offense is also the best defender out there. It’s more than possible, even likely, that they can find a competent bat to throw in there, and they should absolutely be on the hunt for that. But the specific hole he described has Smith’s name plastered all over it, but his glove is why it’s a tough call to cut the cord and move on. 

The Astros need Smith to figure it out at the plate far more than they need to acquire their way around him. Because moving away from him means moving away from one of the best tools on the entire Astros team. That’s why his answer to the offensive question was “if Cam Smith heats up” rather than “we’ll just go get someone.” The fix isn’t on the open or trade market. It’s sitting in the bat of Cam Smith.

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