Overview

• Houston was eliminated Saturday by Cleveland’s walk-off, ending an eight-year streak of playoff appearances.
• Brown said the organization will take “a complete look” at coaching, player development, scouting and his own staff.
• The GM identified injuries as the primary factor, with FanGraphs estimating roughly 17.6 wins lost and late absences for Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña and Josh Hader.
• The downturn followed a 20-games-over-.500 start and a seven-game AL West lead on July 6 before a 30–40 stretch and a decisive Sept. 19–21 sweep by Seattle.
• Manager Joe Espada’s future is being evaluated, with the Chronicle noting he is under contract for 2026 and USA TODAY reporting his job appears less secure than Brown’s, while speculative reports link a possible search to A.J. Hinch if Detroit’s extension talks falter.