The Astros were swiftly knocked out of the postseason via a two-game sweep by the upstart White Sox. That’s the third straight year under manager Joe Espada in which Houston failed to make a deep postseason run, having been swept in the Wild Card Series in 2024 and 2026 and missing the playoffs entirely in 2025. Espada’s contract is up at the conclusion of the World Series, but the skipper “absolutely” hopes to return for a fourth season in 2027, as relayed by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and others.
“I respect the process and how blessed I’ve been of being here for over nine years and experienced so many division titles, Championship Series, World Series, winning one,” Espada told reporters on Wednesday. “As a bench coach, as a manager, I have witnessed so many great moments, so obviously I would like to continue enjoying those moments.” Espada hadn’t received word of his future from owner Jim Crane at the time of that statement, though the two planned to discuss it in the next two days, per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle.
Espada took over as manager following Dusty Baker’s retirement in November 2023. Although the Astros have won the division two out of three times since then, they’re no longer the dominant powerhouse that appeared in seven consecutive Championship Series from 2016-23. Since the start of 2024, they’ve continued to hit, but their starting pitching ranks 18th by ERA (4.17) while their bullpen checks in at 16th with a combined 9.4 fWAR. The Astros’ defense has been mixed, as they’ve been worth +19 Outs Above Average but -41 Defensive Runs Saved.
This year’s lineup, headed by AL MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez, was fourth-best in the Majors with a 105 wRC+. At the same time, Houston’s starting pitching was a complete trainwreck. Astros starters pitched to a 4.81 ERA that ranked fourth-worst in the Majors, ahead of three non-playoff teams in the Reds, Athletics, and Rockies. The group walked 11.2% of opposing hitters, easily the worst in the league. A myriad of injuries led to only two Astros starters crossing the 100-inning threshold: Peter Lambert (155 2/3) and ace Hunter Brown (107 1/3). Of Houston’s eight starters with a minimum of 40 innings, only Lambert (3.82), Brown (3.19), and Hayden Wesneski (3.25) had ERAs under 4.50.
It’s difficult to pin those struggles solely on Espada, of course. Regardless, it’s possible the team will seek a change atop the dugout after the quick postseason exit and a regular season in which the Astros finished at .500, their lowest full-season winning percentage since 2014, when they were still rebuilding. Their middling performance led to general manager Dana Brown, who also entered the season on an expiring contract, mutually parting ways with the team in late August. Crane held onto Espada through the end of the season, but otherwise he’s said nothing about whether the three-year manager will be retained.
Espada’s status will be made clearer when the details of his and Crane’s meeting are made public. For now, the Astros enter the offseason needing a new baseball ops leader at the very least. Assistant GMs Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey, and Connor Huff took over Brown’s responsibilities when he left, though it’s unclear if any of them are being considered for a permanent promotion. On the baseball side, Houston has a number of impending free agents whose spots need to be filled, including Bryan Abreu, Daulton Varsho, Steven Okert, and Enyel De Los Santos. Between those free agents and adding to the rotation, Houston certainly has its work cut out this offseason.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
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