WHEELING AND DEALING
Texans trade Tackle Brown to Seattle for DB Lane, draft picks
Oct 30, 2017, 7:42 pm
Duane Brown was shipped to Seattle in a trade on Monday. Tim Warner/Getty Images
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Bob McNair looks like he is not someone to be trifled with. Duane Brown sat out seven weeks of the NFL season because he felt that his contract -- that had no guaranteed money on it -- was not worthy of his status as a top tier left tackle. The only reason he returned to play in week 8 was because the Texans would have been able to void the current year on his contract if he didn't show up by that deadline.
He played well against the Seahawks in his first action back after a long layoff, and now it appears that was an audition for the team he would be traded to.
In a surprising, but not too surprising deal just before the deadline; the Texans have now traded Brown to those same Seahawks for immediate help on the defense and some long-term picks in the draft. Reports indicate the trade consists of the Seahawks receiving Brown and the Texans receiving cornerback Jeremy Lane and a 2018 5th round pick and a 2019 2nd round pick.
Right off the top I see both teams immediately benefitting from the trade. If the 41-38 shootout didn't make the Texans secondary problems obvious then I don't know what to tell you. Lane adds another piece to that group that may help them to long run. In addition, they can surely use all the draft picks they can get after trading away so many to the Cleveland Browns to get Deshaun Watson and to get rid of Brock Osweiler.
Obviously, the Seahawks get a great left tackle to help them shore up their offensive line problems and that can help them stay alive for another playoff run. The Texans will lose their best offensive lineman but since they have managed without him in the first 7 weeks, I don't think they saw it as too much of a loss.
Brown was also critical of McNair after his now infamous "inmate" comments.
This looks like a win/win for both teams. Brown is a top tier left tackle so the Texans were right to get plenty of compensation. Lane may help them now and Romeo Crennel might be able to put him into the right situations to help the defense. The additional draft picks are always great because the more chances you have to pick good players, the more chances you have to hit on a winner. The Seahawks get to improve up front with a guy who doesn't have guaranteed money on his contract and the ability to negotiate fresh for the few years he has left in the league. The Texans get help now and the chance for more in the future.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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