Five Astros That Must Step Up With Yordan Alvarez Injured

#5 Dana Brown

Though no fault of his own, a lot of pressure now sits on Dana Brown. Brown inherited the Astros job after the free agents had been signed and had no say in roster construction. But he's now tasked with fixing it.

The offseason money given to José Abreu, Rafael Montero and Michael Brantley has been worth a combned -1.7 WAR. Montero can't get outs, Abreu can't get hits and Brantley can't play.

Even when Yordan was healthy, the offense was bad this year and Brown would likely have needed to find an upgrade. Brown said himself finding a bat would be a priority. With a farm system lacking in depth, he needs to find a way to name a piece like Jorge Soler to shore up what has been a bad offense. The pitching staff has been far too effective to be 5 back in the division.

Brown needs to find an upgrade or two to give his team the best shot at contending for a World Series repeat. It's the hand he was dealt, but Brown may need to bluff his way to the bank, finding a way to turn a weak farm system into gold at the deadline.