Joe Espada, whose tenure as Houston Astros manager was marked by sluggish starts followed by late-season rallies that left owner Jim Crane dissatisfied, was fired Wednesday, Oct. 14, two weeks after the Astros were eliminated in the American League wild-card round by the Chicago White Sox.
Espada's firing comes on the heels of Crane firing general manager Dana Brown on Aug. 24. Crane said at that time that Espada's status would be evaluated at the end of the season, a juncture that came quickly after the Astros were swept out of the playoffs in two games.
Tuesday, the Astros granted permission for Espada to interview for the vacant Seattle Mariners managerial job. Espada's contract with Houston expires at the end of this month.
"We are thankful
for Joe’s hard work, his passion for the game, and for his commitment to the Houston Astros," owner Jim Crane said in a statement released by the club. "He represented the Astros and the Houston community in the most positive way. We wish he and his family the best moving forward."
The Astros also announced several members of the coaching staff who will either depart or remain, most notably that bench coach Omar Lopez, who guided Venezuela to the 2026 World Baseball Classic title, will be offered a different role in the organization.
Espada, 51, took over for Dusty Baker after the 2023 season and guided the Astros to an 88-73 record and the American League West title in his first season. But the Astros were swept out of the wild-card round by the Detroit Tigers, missed the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons in 2025 and failed to gain traction above .500 this season, which ended in an 81-81 record that was good enough to win the AL West but not enough to save his job.
Espada had a 256-229 record at the Astros’ helm and they exited the playoffs in the wild-card round both seasons he got them there. He spent six seasons as the Astros’ bench coach before Crane tabbed him to replace Baker.
His first squad got off to a 7-19 start, yet recovered to win 88 games and the West title. Similarly, the 2026 Astros lost 20 of their first 31 games. Yet the AL West's overall ineptitude kept them in the fight – but couldn't help Espada keep his job.
The Astros will be looking for their fourth permanent manager in 13 years and third in seven seasons after Baker took over for A.J. Hinch following Hinch’s 2020 firing for his role in the club’s 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
The club announced that pitching coach Josh Miller, first base coach Dave Clark, field coordinator Jason Bell, hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte will return.
Coaches not being retained include third base coach Tony Perezchica, assistant hitting coach Anthony Iapoce, assistant pitching coach Ethan Katz, catching instructor Tim Cossins and game planning coach Tommy Kawamura.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Astros fire manager Joe Espada after .500 season, playoff exit
