Change is already coming hard and fast for the Houston Astros.
With Dana Brown out as general manager since August and Joe Espada set not to return in 2027 after Wednesday’s announcement, the organization now has two major jobs to fill. That makes this offseason a real pivot point for Jim Crane and the people around him.
If Houston is casting a wide net, there are five names worth keeping on the radar.
Rodney Linares stands out immediately because of how much of Houston he already knows. The Tampa Bay Rays bench coach spent more than a decade managing in the Astros’ farm system, and his development work helped shape players like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and George Springer.
He has been on Kevin Cash’s staff since 2023, and that Tampa Bay connection matters here, especially with the Rays often viewed as the kind of operation Crane has talked about studying. In a September mailbag column, The Athletic’s Chandler Rome pointed back to Crane’s comment about looking at “pretty good teams that don't have big payrolls.”
Tampa Bay fits that mold, sitting third-lowest in MLB payroll at $95.6 million and three wins shy of the World Series.
Another name that deserves attention is Milwaukee Brewers first base coach Spencer Allen. Rome mentioned Matt Klentak and Thad Levine as front-office possibilities for the Astros, and if either of those Brewers executives lands the GM job, Allen would make sense as a managerial candidate to watch.
He was promoted to first base coach in January after five seasons in the organization, and before that he spent six years as Northwestern’s manager from 2016-21. His reputation lines up with what Milwaukee does well: fundamentals, especially baserunning and defense.
Shannon Drayer highlighted those traits in her look at possible Mariners managerial candidates, and the numbers back it up. FanGraphs had the Brewers fourth in the majors in baserunning runs above average and fifth in defensive runs saved.
Chicago White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven is another intriguing fit. The Houston Chronicle identified him as a name to watch, and at 36 he would be one of the youngest managers in the game, along with Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera, who is 34.
The age is part of the story, but the résumé is the bigger one. McKinven spent nine seasons with the Brewers from 2016-24 in a range of roles - advanced scout, strategist and run-prevention coordinator - before taking the White Sox bench coach job over the past two seasons.
That stop in Chicago came with a serious turnaround attached: the Sox went from 41-121, the worst record by any team in the modern era since 1900, to an 84-78 playoff team that reached the ALDS after sweeping the Astros in a three-game wild card series.
If Houston wants a manager with big-league experience, Scott Servais is a logical value option. He’s now a special assistant in baseball operations and player development with the Padres, but he also managed the Mariners from 2016-24.
His record there was 680-642, with winning seasons in five of seven full years, not counting 2020. Seattle dismissed him after a 17-27 stretch in August 2024.
Servais also brings AL West familiarity and a direct Astros link: Houston drafted him in the third round in 1988, and he spent parts of six seasons in the organization while playing alongside Jeff Bagwell, who is now a senior adviser to ownership and baseball operations.
Brandon Hyde belongs in the conversation for similar reasons. The Rays senior advisor baseball operations saw his time as Orioles manager end badly after a 15-28 start in 2025, and he also briefly managed the Florida Marlins for one game in 2011.
But that late exit shouldn’t erase the work that came before it. Hyde helped guide Baltimore through some of its roughest years and eventually led the club to its first 100-win season since 1980 in 2023.
He joined the Rays in December 2025, but at 53, he may still have plenty left for a dugout job.
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The conversation now turns to how much patience Houston wants to show and whether a short-term contract could make sense as a bridge while the club keeps an eye on other center field options in free agency. Varshos track record at the plate suggests there is at least some reason for optimism, especially given the way he has historically played better after the break, but the Astros still have to decide whether that upside is worth banking on or whether a cleaner alternative is the safer path. [Read more 🡒]
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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 🡒]