Former Astros GM Dana Brown Returns to the Braves as a Scouting Adviser
Two months after he and the Astros parted ways, Dana Brown is headed back to Atlanta as a senior adviser for amateur scouting, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Saturday.
Dana Brown has landed his next job, and it's a familiar one. The former Astros general manager is returning to Atlanta as a senior adviser with amateur scouting, USA Today's Bob Nightengale posted Saturday afternoon. The Athletic's Braves beat writer Jesus Cano confirmed the report a couple of hours later, saying Brown is returning as a senior advisor to Atlanta's amateur scouting department. The Braves haven't made a formal announcement yet.
The move comes a day after Houston named Randy Flores the 15th general manager in franchise history (our story).
Back where his Houston run started
Brown spent four seasons, 2019 through 2022, as the Braves' vice president of scouting before the Astros hired him. Atlanta brought him in in January 2019 to oversee its amateur scouting efforts, reuniting him with longtime friend Alex Anthopoulos, who had first hired him in Toronto. In that role, Brown oversaw drafts that produced 2022 National League Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II and runner-up Spencer Strider, per MLB.com.
That draft record is a big part of why Jim Crane hired him in Houston on Jan. 26, 2023, to replace James Click. One of Brown's main tasks was rebuilding an Astros farm system thinned by trades, graduations and the draft picks the club lost in 2020 and 2021 as a penalty for the sign-stealing scandal, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart wrote.
How it ended in Houston
The Astros and Brown mutually agreed to part ways on Aug. 24, the day after a blown 6-0 lead against the A's capped a 3-6 homestand and left Houston at 65-66. Brown was in the final year of his contract. Crane credited him with helping the club "win two division titles" and leading "key scouting, Draft and development efforts."
The low points of his tenure were well known: Alex Bregman left for the Red Sox in free agency, Kyle Tucker was traded to the Cubs a year before he could hit free agency, and Cristian Javier's five-year, $64 million extension hasn't paid off after Tommy John surgery, per MLB.com. In his parting statement, Brown said he looked forward "to the future as I continue my 36-plus years in professional baseball," per MLB Trade Rumors.
Our take
Not much changes on the field for the Astros, but the timing is hard to miss. Brown goes back to evaluating amateur talent, the work that made his name, the same week Houston handed its front office to Flores, who oversaw the Cardinals' drafts. Whatever Flores builds will be measured, in part, against the farm system Brown left behind.
Updated Oct. 31, 5:25 PM CT: added The Athletic's confirmation. We'll update this again if the Braves announce the hire or share more details on Brown's role.
Around the MLB
- KBO star Si Hwan Roh is being posted. The Hanwha Eagles will post the third baseman for MLB teams, according to multiple Korean reports including Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap, via Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors. Roh hit .283/.360/.505 with 29 home runs in 571 plate appearances in 2026, after 32 homers in 2025. He already has an 11-year extension with Hanwha worth 30.7 billion won, or a little over $23 million, if he stays.
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