Before the Houston Astros signed Tatsuya Imai, it felt like 2026 was going to be a win-or-else year for general manager Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada. The fact that both are under contract this season served as the primary reason why they were retained, and Jim Crane didn't sound like someone in a rush to sign either to an extension before next offseason.
Crane spoke with reporters during Imai's introduction and all but ruled out that Brown or Espada would receive an in-season extension.
“We won’t probably do any extensions now, but I’m not saying that’s an impossibility,” Crane said.