With his contract to manage the Houston Astros expiring at the end of this month, Joe Espada was granted permission by the club to interview with the Seattle Mariners for their open managerial position.
A baseball official with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Espada will interview with the Mariners. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Espada is still under contract.
Espada recently concluded his third season managing the Astros, leading them to a second American League West title in that span, even as they finished with an 81-81 record, the worst in major-league history for a division winner. The Astros' streak of eight consecutive playoff berths was broken in 2025; Espada was the club's bench
coach or manager in seven of those seasons.
MLB.com first reported Espada was going to interview with Seattle.
The Mariners fired their manager, Dan Wilson, after a 76-86 season that fell well short of expectations after the club reached Game 7 of the AL championship series. Wilson's downfall arguably began then, as the club blew a 3-2 lead to the Toronto Blue Jays as Wilson made several questionable in-game decisions.
Espada's contract was set to expire along with Astros general manager Dana Brown's after this season. But Houston owner Jim Crane did not hesitate to fire Brown in August even as the club was fighting for the AL West title. Crane said then that Espada's status would be settled at season's end.
While Espada did guide the club to the postseason, the Astros' two-and-out performance against the visiting Chicago White Sox in the wild-card series certainly clouded his future.
Though switching managerial jobs within a division in one offseason is rare, it is hardly without precedent. Most notably, Craig Counsell jumped from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Espada, in limbo with Astros, to interview for Mariners' managerial job
