Why the Astros felt they had to make a front-office shakeup now with Dana Brown

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown knew this day was coming, and there was nothing that was going to save it.

Not a postseason berth.

Not a deep October run.

Not a downtown parade celebrating their third World Series title in 10 years.

So after a horrific homestand, losing six of their last eight games to three of the worst teams in the American League – the Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners – Astros owner Jim Crane pulled the plug Monday.

Brown was fired, although it was announced as a mutual parting of the ways. He was informed of the decision Sunday night, they agreed to call it a mutual parting Monday morning, and he was already packing his bags and taking off for his home in New Jersey.

It was the Astros' 7-6 defeat Sunday to the lowly Athletics, blowing a 6-0 lead, that sent Crane over the top, believing that if they had any chance of reaching the playoffs, drastic changes needed to be made.

Manager Joe Espada was informed by a high-ranking Astros official that he will not receive a new contract after the season, and he was given the choice of staying with the team through the duration of the season or departing now. He has elected to stay with the Astros, who are 65-66, but still tied for first place in the AL West.

Crane, who will have a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 25 in New York to discuss his reasoning for the Brown firing and what’s next, simply had seen enough to believe the Astros weren’t going to make the playoffs if he didn’t do something rash. He will oversee the operations with the assistance of Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who has tremendous influence in the organization as a senior adviser, along with assistant GMs Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff.

They will look for a full-time GM in the offseason, likely trying to hire someone from the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays or Cleveland Guardians.

It’s possible that they could turn to Bagwell, if he shows strong interest in the job, with Cook expected to get a strong look as someone who’s highly regarded by the organization.

Those will be decisions in the offseason. But for now, Crane badly wants to be a playoff team again after the Astros missed the postseason last year for the first time in nine years.

In a season where no AL West team currently owns a winning record, Brown became the third general manager in the division to lose his job, joining the Athletics' David Forst and Angels GM Perry Minasian.

"I’ve never seen anything like it," one AL executive said. "Three GMs fired in one division. Unreal."

Brown, who led the Astros to two division titles in his nearly-four-year tenure, could easily return to Atlanta where he was the Braves' special assistant and scouting guru. GM Alex Anthopoulos could even bring the band back together and hire Minasian, too, who was his assistant GM before going to the Angels.

Brown surely will get another job in baseball, just like James Click, who was fired as the Astros GM after winning the 2022 World Series and is now a special assistant in Toronto.

"I want to thank Jim Crane for the opportunity to serve in my first role as an MLB General Manager," Brown said in a statement. "The Astros organization and the fans have welcomed me and my family, and I am grateful to have called Houston home for the past four seasons. I wish the organization well and I look forward to the future as I continue my 36-plus years in professional baseball."

Brown’s future starts now, and so does the Astros’ urgency to now save their season.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why the Astros felt they had to make a front-office shakeup now with Dana Brown