The Astros and Dana Brown have mutually agreed to part ways, ending his run as general manager and putting Jim Crane in direct control of baseball operations during the transition. Brown's duties will be handed to assistant GMs Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff, along with senior advisor Jeff Bagwell.
The move was announced on August 24, 2026, at 8:36am CDT, making Brown the latest major change in an Astros front office that had been built around his role. The team did not spell out what led to the split, saying only that the separation was mutual and that the work of baseball operations would be transitioned rather than left in limbo.
That distinction matters because it suggests the Astros wanted this shift to look orderly even as it changes the chain of command. Brown is out, but the responsibilities he carried are now spread across Cook, Dickey, Huff and Bagwell, with Crane overseeing the whole operation while the club resets its leadership structure.
What remains unclear is how long Crane will stay in that position before the Astros settle on a longer-term setup. For now, the club has chosen a controlled handoff over a public explanation, and Brown's departure leaves the organization moving forward without saying why the split happened in the first place.
