Can Astros, Dana Brown Parting Ways Help Rangers in AL West Chase?

The Texas Rangers are in Chicago to face the White Sox in a three-game series. The Houston Astros decided to spend their off-day cleaning house.

The Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown, per a team statement on Monday. This came at a time when Houston (65-66) is tied for the American League West lead with the Rangers. Per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, manager Joe Espada will stay on for the rest of the season, with team owner Jim Crane decided his fate after the season.

Brown and Crane were not under contract for 2027, so there was a chance that Crane would part ways with both after the season ended. But by letting Brown go now he introduces an unexpected bomb in his clubhouse as Houston is trying to claim a playoff berth, one the players will have to deal with on Tuesday when they speak to reporters in New York.

Does this help the Rangers? Well, that depends.

How Dana Brown’s Dismissal Could Impact AL West Race

Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young speaks to someone before a game. — Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young. Credit:Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Whether it helps the Rangers or not will hinge on how the Astros take to the news. They’ll have a day to digest it before speaking to reporters and playing the Yankees on Tuesday.

If parting ways with Brown is designed to spur the players on, then the results should be immediate. If Houston starts winning games, then it may lend credence to an idea that owner Jim Crane made the decision to motivate the team or release the stress of Brown’s job uncertainty. It wouldn’t be the first time that organizational leadership made a move like this to spur on a potential playoff team. Granted, they don’t usually happen this late.

The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson in May when the team was struggling and replaced him with Don Mattingly. The Phils caught fire and are back in the NL playoff race. If Crane wanted that sort of impact, why not led Espada go, too?

Perhaps Crane thought that was too much. Perhaps he knew his players respected Espada too much to make that move. Espada was Dusty Baker’s bench coach during the 2022 World Series run. Crane will have to explain that on Tuesday in New York, as he's expected to speak to the media then.

But what if the players respected Brown and see the move as s slap in the face as they try to pursue an AL West crown? That’s the other potential outcome, the one that could really help the Rangers out. The dismissal of someone who is well-respected in the organization can rub players the wrong way. It can also introduce more drama than is needed in a pennant race. Players and coaches hate this kind of drama.

It’s a curious move by Crane. Parting ways with Brown now serves no useful purpose this late in the season unless he believes doing so will spark something in his team down the stretch. That’s the gamble he’s taking. That’s his hope.

If it doesn’t work, then the Rangers could reap some benefit from the move down the stretch when every edge matters. If it does help Texas, it will be a marginal assist. But with such narrow margins in this race, that could be enough.

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