Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown addresses the media in 2024. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images
This is one in a series of assessments of the performances of front offices for the 2024 season. Each front office is given a score based on the total Wins Above Average of the players they either traded for, signed via free agency or extension, or promoted from their farm system, since the conclusion of the 2023 postseason.
A front office’s score also includes the total Wins Above Average of players traded away or lost to free agency since the end of the 2023 postseason. The front offices are being presented in order of their total value from No. 30 (worst) all the way to No. 1 (best).
These ratings do not necessarily reflect the final standings. Front offices are measured based only on the talent they acquired or lost during the past 12 months. Players on multi-year contracts, or already under team control, don’t count toward this rating.
7. Houston Astros, Dana Brown, general manager, +4.1
It is an interesting comment on the close hold team owner Jim Crane has kept on front office operations since the sign-stealing scandal was made public a few years ago: the Astros are one of only three teams with no chief baseball executive above the level of general manager. The Angels and Athletics are the others.
Brown, who has held that GM title since replacing James Click prior to the start of the 2023 season, guided Houston to a third straight division title on his watch and eighth straight postseason overall with a series of largely subtle personnel adjustments to a proven success of a roster.
Brown’s personnel moves since the end of the 2023 postseason impacted 53 major league players, the cumulative impact being second-best in the division, just fractionally behind the Seattle Mariners.
If there was one consistent trait running through the Brown team’s 2024 decisions, it was caution. Starting with a proven nucleus, they first did no harm. The result: Not a single one of those 53 moves hurt the Astros by as much as one full game. The nadir was Brown’s promotion of rookie pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, whose 7-13 record and 4.53 ERA in 23 starts worked out to a -0.9 WAA.
Otherwise, Brown tinkered around the edges of a returning cast that included Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier, Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez.
Five most impactful Brown moves in 2024
| Transaction | Net Impact (Wins Above Average) |
|---|---|
| Released Martin Maldonado to free agency | +1.8 |
| Traded Corey Julks to the White Sox | +1.7 |
| Promoted rookie Yainer Diaz | +1.2 |
| Signed free agent Tayler Scott | +1.2 |
| Promoted rookie Spencer Arrighetti | -0.9 |
Along the way, Brown appeared to develop a keen eye for which role players could be dumped on other teams for some sort of at least minimal return. He shipped off 15 players to other teams either in trades or by free agency, and only four of those 15 produced a positive value for the receiving team, with none of those values exceeding one-half game.
The net impact on the Houston roster of the losses of those 15? It was +5.1 games.
Back to Arrighetti for a moment. When we discuss front office ratings, we are talking about the essence of ‘what have you done for me lately?’ When we reduce his performance to a negative number, we are talking solely about 2024.
That may or may not say anything about Arrighetti’s value going forward, or what he may have learned through those rookie trials and tribulations that may aid the Astros in 2025 and beyond.
What we can say for sure about the 2025 Astros is that they’ve lost a great deal of talent from last year. Ryan Pressly and Kyle Tucker and both now Chicago Cubs, and Alex Bregman continues to wade through tumultuous free agent waters.
Previous Rankings:
9. Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Arnold, senior vice president and general manager, +3.2.
8. San Francisco Giants, Farhan Zaidi president of baseball operations, Pete Putila general manager, +3.8
7. Houston Astros, Dana Brown general manager, +4.2
Next: 6. Philadelphia Phillies, Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, Sam Fuld, general manager, +4.7.
