The Astros parted with general manager Dana Brown yesterday, leading to speculation about manager Joe Espada’s job security. His gig appears safe. Owner Jim Crane met with reporters before Tuesday’s matchup against the Yankees and said Espada will remain in his role for the rest of the 2026 campaign (h/t Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Espada’s contract will be up at the end of the year.
Houston currently sits a half-game behind the Rangers in the AL West heading into Tuesday’s action. Texas sits at an even 66-66, with the rest of the division under .500. The Guardians are also 66-66, which puts the Astros a half-game out of the final AL Wild Card spot. It’s been far from an ideal season for Houston, but the circumstances of the American League put the club firmly in the playoff mix.
Espada took over for legendary manager Dusty Baker heading into the 2024 season. He’d been a bench coach with the club since 2018. Espada led the team to 88 wins and an AL West crown in his managerial debut. Houston lost in the Wild Card round to the Tigers that postseason.
For the first time since 2016, the Astros missed the playoffs last year. Houston finished in a dead heat with Detroit at 87-75. The Tigers earned the last Wild Card spot over the Astros due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Houston brought back largely the same roster in Espada’s final season under contract. The only notable additions came on the pitching side, with the organization signing Tatsuya Imai and trading for Mike Burrows. Neither of those moves has panned out. The Astros took a similarly muted approach to the trade deadline. They flipped righty Spencer Arrighetti to the Blue Jays for outfielder Daulton Varsho, and that was about it.
The lack of action at the deadline may have been a signal that the end was near for Brown. Rome reported this morning that Crane prohibited him from moving anyone on the big-league roster. That included rejecting a trade that would’ve sent reliever Bryan Abreu to the Twins for outfielder Trevor Larnach.
The lack of commitment beyond this year puts Espada in an unenviable position to close the year. He’ll finish out the season pushing for a playoff spot while uncertainty looms in the offseason.
Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images
