Houston Astros skipper Joe Espada is meeting with the Seattle Mariners about their open managerial position, MLB.com reported on Tuesday.
Per MLB.com, the Astros are granting Espada permission to speak with the Mariners despite the 51-year-old being under contract with the club until the end of the month. Houston has not made a final decision on Espada’s future with the club.
Houston parted ways with general manager Dana Brown in August. At that time, owner Jim Crane said Espada’s status would be revisited after the season. Brown promoted Espada to manager after the 2023 season.
Espada served as the Astros manager for the past three seasons, posting a 256-229 record. He has guided the club to AL West titles in 2024 and 2026, although the team was swept in its wild-card series against the Chicago White Sox to open the current playoffs.
Espada was hired to serve as the team’s bench coach prior to the 2018 season before being promoted to manager after Dusty Baker retired.
The Mariners are seeking a replacement for Dan Wilson, who was let go after a 76-86 season. That came one year after Seattle fell one victory shy of a berth in the World Series.
“We need something new,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in the end-of-season interview on Sept. 28. “It could be a shift in programming. It could be a shift in messaging. It could be a shift in language. We’ll collaborate with whoever our future manager is and try to find the right person.”
