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Joe Espada

Astros To Promote Joe Espada To Manager’s Job

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The Astros have concluded their managerial search and are expected to promote bench coach Joe Espada to the role, according to reports from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and Jim Bowden of The Athletic. An official press conference to introduce Espada is set for Monday at 11am CT.

Espada, 48, was a second-round pick by the A’s in the 1996 draft and played nine seasons in the minor leagues. While he was selected by the Twins in the 1998 Rule 5 draft, he did not ultimately crack the Opening Day roster in Minnesota and never received a big league opportunity afterward, ending his minor league career with a .275/.363/.343 slash line in 644 career games. After retiring as a player in 2005, he began his coaching career as a member of the Marlins organization in 2006, serving as a minor league hitting coach and infield coordinator before being named the major league third base coach prior to the 2010 season. Espada ultimately spent four seasons in Miami as third base coach. When the Marlins attempted to reassign Espada to manage in the minor leagues following the 2010 season, he departed the organization to become a special assistant in the Yankees’ front office.

Espada returned to coaching in 2015 as third base and infield coach for the Yankees, serving in the role for three years before being hired by the Astros to replace Alex Cora as the club’s bench coach for the 2018 season following Cora’s hire as manager of the Red Sox. Espada has been the club’s bench coach ever since, serving under both A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker over the past six seasons. During his time as Houston’s bench coach, Espada has regularly been a candidate for managerial positions. The Cubs, Giants, Mets, White Sox, Marlins, and Athletics are all among the clubs Espada interviewed with in recent years, though the job ultimately went to another candidate each time. With Baker having stepped away from managing, however, Espada is finally getting his first shot to manage in the majors.

Though the hiring of Espada as manager hardly constitutes a surprise, the club’s long-time bench coach was not the only candidate consider for the role. The Astros were briefly linked to Craig Counsell prior to him joining the Cubs, while former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus and third base coach Omar Lopez were among other candidates reportedly considered for the role. Houston owner Jim Crane and adviser Jeff Bagwell were both thought to have “immense say” over the managerial search, though rumors indicated that Brown, in particular, pushed for Espada to take over for Baker in the dugout.

While Espada has no managerial experience at the big league level, he’s far from inexperienced after stints managing clubs in winter leagues as well as coaching in the World Baseball Classic for Team Puerto Rico in both 2013 and 2017 on top of his many seasons serving as bench coach under Hinch and Baker. That deep experience both with the Astros organization and in the dugout should make the transition a smooth one for both Espada and the players in Houston, who won’t have to adjust to a new personality leading the team and clubhouse next season. That continuity figures to be especially valuable to a club that’s cultivating a winning culture in recent years with seven straight ALCS appearances, four AL pennants and two World Series championships over the past seven seasons.

Espada’s first season as manager in Houston won’t be without challenges, however. Key veterans Martin Maldonado and Michael Brantley departed for free agency earlier this month, meaning the club will have to either replace or re-sign the duo behind the plate and in the outfield. Brantley, in particular, figures to be of importance to replace given the club’s lack of left-handed bats to provide balance to the lineup alongside Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. What’s more, the club’s starting rotation features plenty of question marks behind a front three of Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, and Cristian Javier. Though the likes of Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia could return from surgery as potential midseason reinforcements, the club currently figures to rely on the likes of Hunter Brown, Jose Urquidy, and J.P. France as potential options to fill out the club’s Opening Day rotation. That trio combined for a 4.64 ERA across 355 innings of work last year.

Despite those potential holes in the roster, there’s also reason for optimism the club will perform better than their 90-win 2023 campaign next year. After all, the club figures to get full seasons out of Verlander, whom they re-acquired in a deadline deal with the Mets this summer, and Jose Altuve, who appeared in just 90 games this season due to injuries. A full season from rookie catcher Yainer Diaz in his sophomore campaign should help bolster the club’s offense by replacing the below-average production of Maldonado’s bat in the everyday lineup, putting the Astros in decent position as they look to fend off the rival Rangers and Mariners for their fourth-consecutive AL West crown.

Astros Have Interviewed Joe Espada In Managerial Search

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Astros bench coach Joe Espada has received an interview in the club’s managerial search, GM Dana Brown confirmed this afternoon (link via Chandler Rome of the Athletic). That’s no surprise considering he has been viewed by many as the logical choice to replace Dusty Baker atop the Houston dugout.

Espada has never managed in the big leagues but has gotten serious attention from a number of teams. He was reportedly one of the finalists in the Marlins search last offseason and has interviewed for several jobs over the years. This morning, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal listed Espada among the potential targets for the Brewers as they set out in search of Craig Counsell’s replacement.

Curiously, Brown told reporters today that the Astros would not grant permission for Espada to interview with Milwaukee until Houston had made its own decision. However, Rome reports that Espada’s contract with the Astros expired on October 31 — thereby negating Houston’s ability to block him from speaking with other teams.

That the Astros have considered trying to prevent Espada from interviewing elsewhere at least seems to suggest he’s a legitimate candidate for the Houston job. Brown pushed back against characterizing the 48-year-old (or anyone else) as the favorite but confirmed Espada was the only in-house person under consideration. That rules out first base coach Omar López, who had been floated as a potential option in the immediate aftermath of Baker’s retirement. Brown added that another team’s bench coach without MLB managerial experience (whom he did not name) is among the other candidates.

Espada has spent the past six seasons as Houston bench coach, holding the position under both A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker. Before that, he’d logged three seasons on the Yankees staff. Espada has managed for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic but has no experience doing so in the affiliated ranks.

Latest On Brewers’ Managerial Vacancy

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The Brewers are suddenly looking for a manager for the first time in almost a decade, with Craig Counsell’s stunning move to the Cubs yesterday. Some of the options they are considering as a replacement, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, are current Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy, Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly, Astros Bench coach Joe Espada, Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough, Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker and former player Rickie Weeks.

Counsell departing Milwaukee wasn’t totally unforeseen. He was on an expiring contract in 2023 and extension talks didn’t come to fruition. But with David Stearns moving on from the Brewers to become president of baseball operations for the Mets and then firing manager Buck Showalter, many assumed Counsell would follow him to Queens. But Counsell joining the division-rival Cubs was not foreseen or known to be on the table.

Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio spoke on the matter yesterday, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and it seems he was surprised as well. “When he first told me, I said, ‘Are you messing with me?’” Attanasio added that “It is what it is” and that the club intends to continue putting their best foot forward without Counsell. “We have a really good thing. I give Craig credit for helping to build that, and for adding all these coaches, all of whom have stayed. So we’re going to look for a manager who can continue having a terrific clubhouse culture and that can help us keep winning and hopefully get over the hump in the playoffs.”

As for the Mets, despite the generally spendthrift behavior of Steve Cohen in recent years, they apparently never got close to the $40MM over five years that Counsell secured from the Cubs. Per Andy Martino of SNY, there was a sense that his interest in coming to the Mets wasn’t actually that high and he was merely using them to drive up the bidding. That would track with his reported interest in resetting the market for managerial salaries. Perhaps he wasn’t especially willing to do that in Queens since he grew up in the Midwest and Chicago is a better fit for him, or perhaps the Mets were content to hire a manager with lesser demands, but the end result is that the Mets landed first-time manager Carlos Mendoza instead.

As for the Brewers’ immediate concerns in relation to this, though it may sting that Counsell joined a division rival instead of the Mets, the focus now will be on filling the void. It seems they weren’t terribly proactive while Counsell was still available, with Attanasio stating that he and general manager Matt Arnold “thought it was going to muddy things if we started interviews with third parties” but that Arnold has “conducted a couple of internal interviews, for what that’s worth.” That suggests they are still in the early stages of their search, with still a wide list of potential candidates being considered, as mentioned above.

Murphy, 65 this month, has a small amount of managerial experience. He was in the Padres’ organization in June of 2015 when Bud Black was fired as manager. Murphy got the gig on an interim basis for the second half of that season but Andy Green took over for the 2016 campaign. Murphy then came to the Brewers to serve as bench coach under Counsell and has garnered plenty of interest from clubs with managerial openings since, but has stayed in Milwaukee.

Mattingly, 63 in April, has plenty of experience as a bench boss. He was at the helm for the Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 and then for the Marlins from 2016 to 2022, before joining the Blue Jays as bench coach for the 2023 season.

Espada, 48, has coaching experience with the Marlins and Yankees but has been the bench coach of the Astros since the start of the 2018 season. He has been connected to various managerial gigs in the past few years but is still with the Astros, who just saw Dusty Baker step out of the skipper’s chair. It’s been speculated that Espada could take over in Houston but nothing is official there.

McCullough, 44 next month, has been the first base coach of the Dodgers since the 2021 campaign. He recently interviewed for the managerial opening in Cleveland but that position has now been filled by Stephen Vogt.

Snitker, 35 next month, is the son of Atlanta manager Brian Snitker. He has been co-hitting coach for the Astros for the past five seasons alongside Álex Cintrón.

Weeks, 41, played in the majors from 2003 to 2017, most of that in Milwaukee. He was hired by the Brewers for a player development role going into the 2022 season.

Managerial Notes: Counsell, Mets, Guardians, Astros, Padres

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The Mets are approaching a decision on who will take the reins from Buck Showalter as the club’s new manager, per SNY’s Andy Martino, with a decision from star manager Craig Counsell expected in the next few days. That, Martino notes, seems to set the Mets up to act quickly regarding their own managerial vacancy; if Counsell settles on the Mets, the Mets will of course hire him for the position, while Martino suggests that Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza is another “very strong” candidate for the role. Martino implies that Counsell and Mendoza are regarded as the two finalists for the role, noting that the “only scenario” that could hold up the manager search in Queens is both Counsell and Mendoza electing to take jobs elsewhere.

That’s not necessarily a completely far-fetched scenario, however. After all, Counsell seems likely to have his pick between the Mets, Guardians, and the incumbent Brewers, all of whom appear to be prioritizing Counsell as their top option to lead their club in the dugout next year. It’s unclear where Counsell will ultimately land, reports have indicated that Counsell will at least offer Milwaukee a chance to match whatever salary offer he receives from New York and Cleveland. If Counsell does wind up returning to Milwuakee, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com relayed recently that the favorites for the job with the Guardians would then be Mendoza and Mariners coach Stephen Vogt.

That creates at least the possibility of a situation where the Brewers retain Counsell while the Guardians land Mendoza, leaving the Mets unsure about who their next manager will be. Cubs bench coach and former Padres manager Andy Green as well as current A’s manager Mark Kotsay have both been noted as possible candidates for the manager job in New York in the past, and the Mets are known to be searching for an external candidate, specifically.

More managerial notes from around the game…

  • The Astros could be nearing the end of their search for a manager to replace veteran skipper Dusty Baker, who retired at the end of the 2023 season. Per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, GM Dana Brown is “pushing” for the organization to promote bench coach Joe Espada to take over for Baker in the role. That being said, even an endorsement from Brown doesn’t necessarily guarantee the job will go to Espada; after all, as recent reports have indicated that both owner Jim Crane and adviser Jeff Bagwell will have “immense say” over who takes the reins from Baker in the dugout when all is said and done. Former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus along with third base coach Omar Lopez are among the other rumored contenders for the managerial gig in Houston.
  • Before the Padres settled on Bob Melvin to manage the club during the 2021-22 offseason, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune indicates that president of baseball operations met with former Padres and Giants manager Bruce Bochy regarding his interest in the position. Krasovic relays that per Bochy’s agent Tony Attanasio, Preller and Bochy met twice that offseason in Bochy’s home in Nashville, TN. Attanasio suggests that Bochy wasn’t especially interested in returning to San Diego, and of course the club wound up hiring Melvin for the role instead. For his part, Bochy would return to the game as skipper of the Rangers in 2023, leading the club to its first World Series championship in franchise history.

Latest On Mets’ Managerial Search

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The Mets are one of several teams looking for a new manager, with Buck Showalter having been fired last month. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Craig Counsell, seen as some as the favorite for the gig, is heading to New York today with an interview to take place in the coming days. Meanwhile, Andy Martino of SNY reports the club is narrowing the field and will make a hire within the week, with Carlos Mendoza and Athletics’ manager Mark Kotsay also in the mix with Counsell. Martino adds that Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada did not interview for the Mets.

The fit with Counsell has been speculated upon for quite some time. David Stearns was general manager and president of baseball operations with the Brewers for many years, overlapping with Counsell’s time as skipper in Milwaukee. Stearns was recently hired by the Mets for the POBO job with that club and one of his first actions was to fire Showalter, immediately causing many to assume that Counsell would follow Stearns to Queens.

Counsell was under contract with the Brewers through the end of October but the Mets received permission to interview him last week. It seems that interview has still not officially taken place, though Martino reports that he did speak to the club on the phone. He has also interviewed with the Guardians and has attracted the interest of the Astros. While a return to Milwaukee could still be possible, it seems Counsell is being thorough in assessing his options.

Mendoza’s involvement in the search has previously been reported but Kotsay is a new entry. He is currently the manager of the A’s, having been hired to be the bench boss of that club prior to the 2022 campaign. The club has been terrible in that time but that could hardly be blamed on the skipper since the A’s have been aggressively rebuilding, trading away just about every established big league player making a notable salary.

If the Mets are seriously interested in Kotsay, they may have to work out an arrangement with the A’s. Oakland let Bob Melvin jump to the Padres prior to hiring Kotsay, not asking the Padres for any compensation in return. It was speculated that the A’s were happy to let Melvin walk to save on his salary, which was reported to be about $4MM per year. It’s unknown how much Kotsay is making but it’s presumably less than that. Whether the A’s would have any reluctance to letting their manager jump ship this time is unknown.

Espada has been the bench coach in Houston since 2018 and has been connected to various managerial openings since then. He has yet to move on from that gig and it’s unclear if the lack of interview with the Mets was a decision of his or of the Mets. The Astros have their own managerial vacancy with Dusty Baker stepping down and Espada has been floated as a possible fit for that job, though it doesn’t seem as though that club is in a hurry to fill that vacancy.

Coaching Notes: Counsell, Astros, Rays

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Brewers manager Craig Counsell just wrapped up the final year of his contract in Milwaukee, prompting widespread speculation that he could depart his hometown team after nine years in the club’s dugout. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported this evening that the Mets have “a reasonable chance” of prying Counsell away from his longtime team, though Heyman added that a source connected to the Brewers indicated that the organization believes he’ll remain with the team as long as he gets paid “what he believes is fair.”

Heyman adds that negotiations between Counsell and the Brewers have seemingly not yet progressed at this point, though as previously reported, Counsell won’t have the option to speak to other teams until November. While Counsell, who lives year-round with his family in the suburbs of Milwaukee, has strong ties to both the are and the Brewers organization, Heyman notes that the Mets have potential advantages in newly-hired president of baseball operations David Stearns and, perhaps more importantly, the reported ability to offer Counsell a significant raise; Heyman relays that a source suggested the Mets could offer Counsell double his 2023 salary with Milwaukee of $3.5MM.

A consensus top-tier manager in today’s game, Counsell would surely attract interest from other clubs if he was willing to depart Milwaukee; the Guardians, Giants, and Angels all have managerial openings of their own. Whether Counsell eventually ends up staying with the Brewers, headed to the Mets, or somewhere else entirely, Heyman notes the Mets are still proceeding with their managerial search in order to ensure they have options outside of Counsell.

More coaching notes from around the game…

  • One candidate for the Mets Heyman floats is Astros manager Dusty Baker, though his connection of Baker and Queens appears to be purely speculative. That said, Heyman does suggest that Baker is “frustrated” over disputes with the front office regarding analytics. Baker’s decision to use Martin Maldonado as the club’s primary catcher rather than rookie Yainer Diaz as an example of a situation where GM Dana Brown’s front office has butted heads with the dugout. Baker, for his part, has managed in Houston for four seasons on a series of one-year pacts and was noncommittal regarding whether he planned to manage beyond 2023 when asked earlier this year. If the Astros do go in another direction for the manager’s chair after this season, Heyman speculates that bench coach and longtime managerial candidate Joe Espada would be a “logical replacement” for Baker in the Houston dugout.
  • The Rays announced today that first base coach Chris Prieto and assistant hitting coach Dan DeMent will not return to the club’s coaching staff for the 2024 season. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times adds that the Rays are expected to consider both internal and external candidates as they look to replace Prieto, though DeMent will not be replaced on the staff. Topkin notes that with hitting coach Chad Mottola and assistant hitting coach Brady North already in place, the Rays felt a third hitting coach “proved unwieldy.” The only other change in the club’s coaching staff Topkin relays as expected is the departure of process and analytics coach Jonathan Erlichman, who Topkin adds is moving to another position in the organization, though that position has not yet been disclosed.

Astros Finalize Coaching Staff

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The Astros announced this evening they’ve finalized their coaching staff for the 2023 campaign. It’ll be Dusty Baker’s fourth season running the show as the Astros look to defend their World Series title.

One previously unreported addition is the tabbing of Tommy Kawamura as game planning coach (h/t to Mark Berman of Fox 26). Formerly a member of the team’s advance scouting department in the front office, Kawamura makes the jump to the dugout. It’s a newly-created position for the Astros that’ll presumably increase Baker’s ability to match up with the opposition.

The rest of the staff returns, most in their previous roles. Joe Espada is back for a sixth season as bench coach. Alex Cintrón and Troy Snitker return as co-hitting coaches; Jason Kanzler will be their assistant hitting coach, his second season on staff. Bill Murphy and Josh Miller will split pitching coach duties for the second straight year. Gary Pettis and Omar López will serve as base coaches, with Dan Firova and Michael Collins also remaining on staff.

There’s a strong amount of continuity with the group, as they return in hopes of backing up their championship. Houston made some key front office changes at the start of the offseason, but the non-playing field staff is back completely intact with the addition of Kawamura.

Omar Lopez To Remain With The Astros

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Astros’ first base coach Omar Lopez will return to the coaching staff next season, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. It will be Lopez’s 25th year with the franchise, and comes shortly after bench coach Joe Espada’s reported agreement with the franchise.

Lopez played three seasons of minor league baseball with the White Sox and the Diamondbacks before joining the Astros organization in 1999. He then spent the next eight years working as a scout and as a hitting and infield instructor in Venezuela, being one of the scouts to recommend Jose Altuve to the organization.

In 2008, he transitioned to a coaching role and led Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits until 2018. During that time, Lopez worked with former Astros’ shortstop Carlos Correa and starter Lance McCullers Jr. as they worked their way through the team’s system. Lopez would continue to Double-A Corpus Christi for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, earning the Texas League Manager of the Year award in 2018, before eventually joining Houston in 2020 as their first-base coach.

Joe Espada To Remain In Houston

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Astros Bench Coach Joe Espada will return to Houston for the 2023 season, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Espada had recently interviewed with both the Marlins and the White Sox in their managerial searches but did not receive either role.

A second-round pick in the 1996 draft by the Athletics, Espada played nine minor league seasons, topping out in Triple-A before transitioning to coaching. Espada has been with the Astros since 2017, joining the club after spending time with the Marlins and the Yankees.

Over the past few years, Espada has been a managerial candidate for a handful of teams. Since 2018, he has been linked to leading roles with the Rangers, Cubs, Mets, and Giants, along with the more recent openings with the Marlins and the White Sox.

White Sox No Longer Considering Joe Espada In Managerial Search

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Astros bench coach Joe Espada is no longer a candidate to become the next White Sox manager, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports.  Espada was reportedly a finalist for the Marlins’ job before Miami hired Skip Schumaker earlier this week, and he hasn’t been linked to the Royals, the only other team still looking for a new manager.  As a result, it looks like Espada will again come up short in a bid for his first Major League managerial job, after previously being considered by such teams as the Mets, Giants, Athletics, Twins, and Cubs over the last few seasons.

The 47-year-old Espada has been Houston’s bench coach for the last five seasons, the Yankees’ third base coach/infield coach from 2015-17, and the Marlins’ third base coach from 2010-13.  Prior to his first big league posting, Espada also worked as a coach and coordinator for several years in the Marlins farm system.  There has been speculation that the Astros might’ve been grooming Espada to step into their managerial post if Dusty Baker wasn’t retained or if the 73-year-old Baker decided to retire, but since Houston is reportedly interested in bringing Baker back in 2023, Espada might have to wait at least one more year if the Astros job is indeed a possibility.

Espada, Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol, and former White Sox and Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen are the only candidates confirmed to have interviewed for the White Sox job.  Reports surfaced last week that the Sox had interest in speaking with Guillen about a possible return, and NBC Sports Chicago’s Chuck Garfien reported that Guillen’s interview took place last Monday.

Beyond that trio, interim manager Miguel Cairo and Braves third base coach Ron Washington were also known to be under consideration, though it isn’t known if the Sox have actually spoken with either candidate.  One would imagine Cairo has already met with the team at some point in the last few weeks, since as Merkin notes, White Sox GM Rick Hahn said during his season wrap-up press conference on October 3 that Cairo would get an interview.

With this uncertainty still surrounding the search, it isn’t known if the White Sox have any other interviews lined up, or if they’re approaching any sort of “finalist” stage.  It is possible the Sox might be waiting until the World Series is over (or at least for the Series’ scheduled off-days on October 30 or November 3) to make an official announcement, if they are indeed close to a decision.

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