Analyzing The Three Key Priorities For Dana Brown as Astros General Manager

Taking a look at Dana Brown's to-do list as Astros GM

After operating for much of the offseason, the Houston Astros have hired Dana Brown as their GM. Brown is a superb hire and comes to Houston with a wealth of success in the draft (Spencer Strider, Stephen Strasburg and Michael Harris III) and under the radar free agent signings (Tyler Matzek).

Brown will ensure the Astros window of contention stays open for years to come. As he settles into his job, it's important Brown knocks out a couple of key priorities before the beginning of the season. We take a look at these below.

1) Extend young talent for the future

Undoubtedly, locking up young talent for the long haul is priority number one for Brown and the Astros, Both Brown and Jim Crane made mention of it multiple times in his introductory press conference.

Kyle Tucker, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez all are under team control through 2025. Houston simply can't afford to lose these three players. Brown comes from an Atlanta Braves franchise that has consistently extended young talent early for well below market value. He knows the importance of securing homegrown talent for the future.

If Tucker, Javier and Valdez aren't extended before the season they likely will play their way out of Houston's traditional operating budget. It's probably now or never for those three before they hit unrestricted free agency.

Beyond those three, it's never too early to talk extension with young, elite talent. When we ranked the most deserving extension candidates, Hunter Brown and Jeremy Peña were included on the list. Could a young flamethrower like Bryan Abreu that could serve as a future starter be in the market for an extension? What about arms like Garcia and Urquidy that project as middle of the rotation arms, but could be a #2 in the rotation on many teams?

Brown has some decisions to make on who will receive them, but locking up young talent should be priority number one.

2) Lock up Bregman and Altuve

Dana Brown simply can't let the faces of the franchise go. Both are free agents after the 2024 season. Altuve and Bregman have been staples of the golden era. As others have come and gone, they've been consistent.

When players faced the media after the events of 2017, it was Bregman and Altuve that took the mic in spring training 2020. Altuve has an MVP and Bregman has multiple top-five finishes. They're two of the best playoff performers in the history of the MLB. They're beloved by the fans.

The Astros golden era simply doesn't happen without these two. Some of the free agency losses stung (Correa and Verlander), but were understandable. It would be unjustifiable to let either of these two go without an heir apparent in waiting.

Both should be Astros for life. As they age, they can turn face of the franchise status over to Yordan and King Tuck. Brown must get both of these players extended beyond 2024.