“CLEANUP ON AISLE 5!” We've heard that before. Some bad little kid threw a fit in the store because their parent wouldn't buy them toys and/or candy. So they decided to throw the orange juice on the ground. Now Allan the janitor has to clean up this mess. While it's not a huge mess, someone still has to come on the public address system and make the announcement.

You could say the same for Astros' general manager Dana Brown. Owner Jim Crane and his trusty sidekick Jeff Bagwell made a couple messes between James Click being shown the door, and Brown accepting the job. This is what happens when the owner wants to do things his way, but part of that includes taking advice from a former player who has ZERO front office experience. Click and Crane couldn't get along. They wanted to go about winning in two different ways. Brown sees things similarly to Click, but with Crane's flare for the dramatic. He doesn't mind making the splash deal, provided it makes sense.

Brown was credited for helping the Braves build a competitive organization. Part of his philosophy was signing young talent to long-term extensions before they got too pricey. He also made very wise decisions in free agency. The opposite should be said for Crane and Bagwell. Jose Abreu and Rafael Montero are their number one and two “spills” on the Crawford aisle Brown has to clean up. To make matters worse, manager Dusty Baker is apparently the parent allowing the kids to throw fits:

“What does it mean?!?”

“No one knows what it means! It's provocative! Gets the people going!”

It was at this point, Brown knew he had a lot more work to do. He knew a team coming off a World Series win and trying to keep their window open would result in a heavy workload. Little did he know he'd have to find a way around the owner, his right-hand man, and the manager. Adding to Brown's cleanup list are all the injuries. Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, the bat boys/girls, one of the grounds crew, and I heard from a reliable source Orbit has been playing all season on a torn meniscus that'll require surgery in the offseason! Good thing Brown is open to all types of help at the trade deadline:

I have no doubt Brown will be able to get this ship straightened out and back on course. There's too much talent still here. They're also capable of performing at a high level. Mix that in with the youth movement the team has been slow rolling over the last few years, and there's a reason everyone should relax. We're barely to the midway point of the season. The team is one game out of the playoffs for the final Wild Card spot. They're six games out of the division lead. The Rangers lost their ace, but can still out-slug/score just about anybody.

There are enough pieces in place to keep this thing going. Rentals or long-term options at the deadline, getting guys healthy, and/or letting younger guys play will all play a factor into how well Brown can clean up the mess he's in charge of this season. The deadline is over a month away. Guys will be getting healthy soon. There's still over 80 games left in the season, and a LOT can happen.