The Yankees’ search for a new bench coach has taken an unusual turn, and Joe Espada is right in the middle of it.
With Brad Ausmus headed to the Houston Astros to become their manager, New York suddenly has a vacancy to fill. According to Joel Sherman, Espada has kept a strong relationship with Yankees officials and is viewed as a logical candidate for the job. If that happens, the coaching paths between the two clubs would almost seem to cross in reverse: Ausmus would take over in Houston after Espada, and Espada would step into the role Ausmus left behind in New York.
Espada is available after the Astros chose not to renew his contract following three seasons as manager. Before that, he spent six years as Houston’s bench coach, then moved up to replace Dusty Baker after the 2023 campaign.
His run leading the Astros produced a 256-229 record and two American League West titles. Houston reached the postseason twice during that stretch, but the club did not win a playoff game in either appearance.
New York is already familiar territory for Espada. He worked in the Yankees’ organization from 2015 through 2017 as an infield and third-base coach, and that past connection could matter as the club reshapes Aaron Boone’s staff.
The potential move would also fit into a broader coaching shuffle. Ausmus is leaving the Yankees after the past three seasons as Boone’s bench coach, while Tanner Swanson has already departed for the Seattle Mariners and hitting coach James Rowson is reportedly headed to the San Francisco Giants.
Nothing is done yet, but Espada gives the Yankees an experienced option with a built-in link to the organization as they work through a busy staff reset.
In Other News...
Cam Smith Is Turning His Astros Rise Into Something Bigger
Cam Smiths rise in Houston has already been one of the more interesting stories on the roster, and now the young right fielder is using that momentum to build something off the field, too. Smith launched the Cam Smith Foundation with a focus on helping single mothers and their children, tying the effort to mentorship, community partnerships and direct aid while turning a baseball milestone into a broader community push.
The launch event drew several Astros teammates and included an auction of signed memorabilia to help raise funds, a sign that Smiths profile in Houston is growing well beyond his place in the lineup. Drafted by the Cubs in 2024 and then traded to the Astros, Smith made the Opening Day roster and has stayed in the mix as a regular since, and the foundation gives his early success a different kind of significance as he settles into life in Houston. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Manager Search Will Shape A Chaotic Offseason
Houstons search for its next manager is moving along quickly, and Randy Flores said the process has reached the point where a hire is expected soon. The Astros general manager has already spoken with multiple candidates and brought key team personnel into the conversation, a sign that the club is treating this as more than a simple replacement hire. With the offseason now underway, the manager decision is the first major step in what figures to be a busy stretch for a team trying to reset after a turbulent year.
Once that choice is made, the attention shifts to the rest of the baseball operation, starting with the coaching staff and then the roster itself. The timing matters because the Astros are heading into an offseason shaped by the looming expiration of the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement and the possibility of a lockout, which could compress the market and force clubs to make decisions faster than usual. For Houston, the next manager will not just inherit a dugout, but a front office preparing for a winter that could move in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Manager Search Could Bring Back A Familiar Face And Sting Yankees
The Astros search for their next manager is starting to take shape after the hiring of Randy Flores as general manager, and a familiar name has quickly moved to the front of the conversation. Brad Ausmus, who once played for Houston and has since built a steady coaching rsum, is being viewed as the leading candidate as the club looks to settle its dugout direction.
Ausmus also brings a wrinkle beyond the Astros own decision-making, since he has recently been working as the Yankees bench coach. If Houston follows through, it would not only reconnect the franchise with a former player, it would also create another ripple in New Yorks staff at a time when Aaron Boone has already seen turnover around him. [Read more 🡒]