The Astros are moving on from Joe Espada after a postseason exit that left Houston with little room to stand pat, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart on X. Once the club was swept at home out of the playoffs, the decision to make a change was effectively set in motion.
Espada’s run lasted three seasons, and his numbers with Houston were solid on paper: a 256-229 record and a .521 winning percentage. He helped the Astros win the AL West twice, though neither of those division titles turned into a playoff victory.
The timing also fits the broader shape of the organization right now. With Dana Brown out of the organization since July, the Astros were already headed toward a reset, and Espada was operating with a roster that didn’t really fit together. The source view is clear: he was not the problem in 2026 so much as the manager who inherited the mess.
Houston is expected to hire a new general manager or president of baseball operations this offseason, and that makes the manager situation even simpler to untangle. The Astros want the next front-office leader and the next field manager aligned on the same timeline, which opens the door for a fresh hire from outside the organization.
That search may be easier than it first appears. Houston won’t be fighting an endless list of openings this winter, with one job already open in its division and another possibly opening in Philadelphia. That could give the Astros a broader field when the process gets rolling.
Two names that could surface are Alex Cora and Brad Ausmus. Cora has a clear connection to Houston after serving as bench coach on the 2017 World Series championship team before leaving for Boston. If Philadelphia’s job opens, that could become a major competitor for the Astros, but Cora’s familiarity with the organization would matter.
Ausmus is another candidate to watch. He’s currently the Yankees’ bench coach after previous managerial stints with the Tigers and Angels.
His track record as a manager was not especially strong, but he does come with experience, and a year around Aaron Boone’s staff may have sharpened his approach. He also knows the Astros well from his days as a catcher with the team from 1997-1998 and 2001-2008.
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The broader question around Smith is less about what he has been and more about what he can become as the Astros sort through the fallout of an early playoff exit and a managerial change. He is now being viewed as one of the young players who could help define the next core, especially in an outfield that may need stability and upside at the same time. The bat is still developing, the ceiling is still open, and Houstons next phase could depend in part on how quickly Smith turns flashes into something more consistent. [Read more 🡒]