Brad Ausmus is walking into Houston at a strange moment for a franchise that used to make October look routine.
The Astros finished 81-81 last season and then got swept by the White Sox in the Wild Card round. That’s a far cry from the old standard in Houston, when seven straight trips to the ALCS felt normal. Now the club has a new manager, a new general manager in Randy Flores, and a division title that says as much about the rest of the West as it does about the Astros themselves.
For Ausmus, the job comes with both familiarity and pressure. He was the catcher on Houston’s first team to reach the World Series in 2005, spent 10 of his 18 big league seasons with the Astros, and later moved into San Diego’s front office after retiring.
Since then, he’s managed two big league clubs and served as a bench coach for Mark Kotsay in Oakland and Aaron Boone in New York. That kind of background matters when a first-time GM needs someone who already understands how the clubhouse conversations work from every angle.
The best line on Ausmus’ managerial record is still Detroit’s 2014 AL Central title. The Tigers had already won the division three years in a row before he arrived, and they made it four straight under him.
He also guided Detroit to 86 wins in 2016, though that wasn’t enough to reach the postseason, and the next year the Tigers dropped to 98 losses. His lone season with the Angels ended at 72-90.
So yes, there’s evidence he can steer a veteran team through a race. There’s also enough mixed results to make the next roster Flores builds worth watching closely.
Houston had been linked to Ausmus for a while. The Astros interviewed him for the manager’s job that eventually went to Dusty Baker and for the GM opening that went to Dana Brown.
They also talked with him again this fall before hiring Flores. Ausmus’ connection to Jeff Bagwell, who remains a trusted adviser to owner Jim Crane, only deepens the familiarity.
Flores said at his introduction that he wanted a manager he could trust and communicate with under pressure. Among the publicly identified candidates Houston considered, Ausmus was the only one with major league managing experience. That made him the safe, known option for a new GM trying to get up and running quickly.
The Astros did keep some continuity in place around him. Pitching coach Josh Miller and hitting coach Victor Rodríguez are both back, so Ausmus won’t be starting from zero with the people closest to the roster.
There’s still plenty to sort out on the field, and Jeremy Peña is the name to watch this winter. MLB.com pointed to his future as an immediate question for Flores, and he’s one of several Astros on track to reach free agency after 2027 or 2028. How Flores handles Peña, and what he adds around Yordan Alvarez and Hunter Brown, will show how aggressively Houston plans to defend the division.
Seattle, meanwhile, came close to landing a different familiar face. The Astros let Joe Espada’s contract expire, and the Mariners brought him in for a final interview along with Jason Kanzler.
Instead, Seattle went with a first-time manager who had already worked on Houston’s big league coaching staff. At his introduction, Kanzler even joked by calling the Astros “the team that shall not be named.”
The first meeting between the two clubs is set for April 16-18 in Seattle, and by then the winter should have revealed plenty about both front offices.
In Other News...
Cole Youngs Rise Could Complicate One Intriguing Mariners Fit
Cole Youngs rise has given the Mariners another layer to think about as they sort through their offseason infield plans, and it has made one possible addition feel a little more complicated. Seattle has been exploring roster fits with an eye toward flexibility, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. has come up as the kind of player who could move around and change the shape of the lineup. With names like Brendan Donovan and Teruaki Sato also in the mix as part of the broader conversation, the Mariners are clearly weighing how much versatility they want to add and where it would best fit.
Chisholms recent playing history only adds to the intrigue, since his value is tied as much to athleticism and positional options as it is to any one spot on the diamond. Luis Arrez also enters the picture as another reference point in the roster-planning discussion, underscoring how many moving parts Seattle is considering before it makes any kind of move. For now, there is no official action, but the possibility of adding a player with Chisholms profile while Young continues to push his way forward is the kind of decision that could ripple through the rest of the Mariners offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Could Be Watching Randy Arozarena Price Himself Out Of Seattle
Randy Arozarenas next contract is shaping up to be one of the more interesting free-agent tests on the market, and the Mariners are watching from a distance after he declined their qualifying offer. The outfielder is expected to land a multi-year deal, which puts Seattle in the familiar spot of weighing whether a player it knows well is moving into a price range that no longer fits cleanly into its plans.
Philadelphia has emerged as a team to watch, but the fit is not simple. The Phillies have interest, yet their luxury-tax situation and the age of their roster make another major commitment a tricky proposition, which is part of why Arozarenas market could take some time to settle. For Seattle, the bigger question is whether the bidding climbs into territory that makes a reunion unrealistic even before the winter really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs May Face A Painful Matt Shaw Decision This Offseason
The Cubs are headed into an offseason with pitching at the top of the to-do list, and that alone makes their roster worth watching from Seattle. Chicago is expected to explore both free-agent options and the trade market as it tries to shore up the staff, and the front office under Jed Hoyer has never been shy about making a move if it believes the return helps the club in a bigger way.
One path being floated would send utility player Matt Shaw out in a deal that could appeal to clubs looking for young, controllable talent, with the Mariners among the teams that fit the discussion. For Seattle, any rumor tied to a pitcher of that caliber naturally gets attention, because it speaks to the kind of arm Chicago would have to target if it decided to turn a position player into a rotation upgrade. [Read more 🡒]