The call was made today by the Houston Astros, who have parted ways with general manager Dana Brown after four underwhelming seasons with the club.

Dana Brown took over the Astros in 2023, a club coming off a World Series title at the time. They fell short the following year, losing to the Rangers in seven games in the American League Championship Series.

What’s happened since is what ultimately led to this decision. The Astros lost in the AL Wild Card series in 2024 and then missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016.

That put Brown on the hot seat, and the club hasn’t responded well, currently sitting at 65-66 — even if they’re still technically tied for first place in a lousy AL West. This wasn’t a relationship that was going to continue after this season, and doing it now avoids any awkwardness in the event the Astros somehow pull off an unexpected deep playoff run.

Prior to his time in Houston, Dana Brown was Alex Anthopoulos’ right-hand man. The two spent seven seasons together with the Blue Jays and then four more in Atlanta, where Brown served as Vice President of Scouting. He helped the Braves to the World Series in 2021 and was responsible for a ton of the club’s most valuable finds in free agency and through the draft, including Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, and Tyler Matzek.

“I remember Dana telling me he was a top-five high-school bat in the draft — he wrote it in his report as well — and that we had to take him,” Alex Anthopoulos said. “He wasn’t highly touted at all and Dana wanted to take him in the third round. I remember asking him if he was sure we needed to take him that high and he was adamant.

“He did the same thing with Spencer Strider (the Braves’ fourth-round pick) in 2020. I’ve been with him a long time and when he’s that convicted I stay out of the way. One other time he pounded for us to sign a player was Tyler Matzek when he was in Indy ball. It was August (2019), minor league season was about to be over and he wouldn’t let it go so we signed him to a two-year minor-league contract. Dana doesn’t bat 1.000, no one does but when he’s passionate about something, I’ve learned the smart move is to listen.”

Brown’s success as a scout may not have translated to his role as a general manager, and it’s not as if the Braves have suffered greatly in that area since his departure — their farm system has improved significantly over the last couple of years. But Brown and Anthopoulos accomplished a lot together over their careers, so perhaps that door is still open once Brown is ready to get back in the business.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)