Jim Crane and the Houston Astros found themselves in quite the predicament even before parting ways with manager Joe Espada on Wednesday afternoon.
After years of dominating the AL West, the Astros now teeter on the edge of a rebuild. The problem: They can’t immediately overhaul the roster because of numerous financial commitments, most notably Jose Altuve’s extension and a potential lack of trade suitors for the likes of Christian Walker and Cristian Javier, both of whom have played their way out of Houston on production alone.
Given the status of their roster and those budgetary roadblocks, we believe the Astros are best suited to replace Espada with a proven big-league manager. Gambling on a highly-regarded minor-league manager, as the Nationals did with Blake Butera last year, isn’t the smartest play right now.
That said, our first entry has never managed a big-league game, but you’ll immediately understand why he made our list.
Alex Cintrón, Texas Rangers hitting coach
Cintrón spent nearly a decade as an Astros assistant, climbing from Spanish translator and scout to bench coach before his 2025 departure. He also earned one of the longest suspensions for an in-game event in 2020, when the league felt he baited Athletics outfielder Ramón Laureano into inciting an on-field brawl.
This potential hire likely comes down to two key questions: Why did he leave the Astros, and would the current veteran core — most notably Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez — support his potential return?
Bob Melvin, former Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants manager
Melvin is admittedly an odd inclusion, but he’d also be a safe — and likely affordable — hire ahead of the lockout. There is a growing sense around baseball that the Red Sox, Phillies, and Mets all kept their interim managers partly for financial reasons.
For what it’s worth, we previously saw the Astros hire an older, extremely accomplished manager when they turned to Dusty Baker in 2020, and that worked out fine. This makes far more sense than you’d think, assuming Melvin is open to managing next year.
Brad Ausmus, New York Yankees bench coach
Ausmus is a perfect fit, which means Crane most likely won’t listen to us. Not only did the longtime catcher play eight seasons in Houston, but he has previous managerial experience with the Tigers and Angels.
Our major concern is what we’ll call the Buster Posey Problem. For the unfamiliar, that means hiring a former player — one with a significant history to your organization — to a prominent leadership position. The Mariners callously had team Hall of Famer Dan Wilson announce his own dismissal, and Posey’s small ownership investment in the Giants might be what’s keeping him as their lead baseball executive. We also just watched the Red Sox essentially lie about former captain Jason Varitek’s status with the organization.
Ausmus never made the All-Star team in Houston, but he won three Gold Gloves and stuck around for nearly a decade. Keep your eyes on him here while also preparing for the worst.
Rocco Baldelli, former Minnesota Twins manager
We’ve advocated for Baldelli to earn another managerial job all season, though our preferred landing spot (Arizona) elected to maintain the status quo. The longtime Twins skipper is currently a Dodgers special assistant, which we imagine is far less stressful.
But if Baldelli wants to be in a big-league dugout next year, then we suggest the Astros call him immediately. He’s a former Manager of the Year who consistently kept the Twins in the playoff race despite their inconsistent budget. That works fine for us.
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