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

Championship Series - Houston Astros v New York Yankees - Game Four
Championship Series - Houston Astros v New York Yankees - Game Four / Jamie Squire/GettyImages
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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.

Division Series - Seattle Mariners v Houston Astros - Game Two
Division Series - Seattle Mariners v Houston Astros - Game Two / Bob Levey/GettyImages

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.

Championship Series - New York Yankees v Houston Astros - Game Two
Championship Series - New York Yankees v Houston Astros - Game Two / Rob Carr/GettyImages

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.

World Series - Philadelphia Phillies v Houston Astros - Game Two
World Series - Philadelphia Phillies v Houston Astros - Game Two / Carmen Mandato/GettyImages

3) Establish control of the room

Brown is as highly regarded as they come. Braves GM Alex Anthopolous raved about Brown and his success in the draft and in free agency. He is more than ready to do this job.

So he needs to be assertive and do the job as he can. Part of what prevented James Click from being fully embraced in Houston was his passivity when Crane wanted to go all-in. Brown doesn't need to change what has been a successful system, but he needs to put his foot down that he is running the show. Not Jeff Bagwell.

Brown said at his press conference he wants to get "greedy about winning." He inherits a big league roster and owner that will allow that to happen. His draft pedigree mean he'll likely have no issues rebuilding the slightly bare cupboard in the Astros farm system. Everything is there for the Astros to in fact be greedy about winnings.

This was absolutely the right hire by Jim Crane. Now Brown just needs to be enabled to do what he does best and build a dominant roster both now and for the future. We can't wait to see what he has in store.

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