The Houston Astros announced Wednesday, October 14, 2026, that they will not renew manager Joe Espada’s contract. His deal is scheduled to expire at the end of the month. The club also said it would part ways with several members of his coaching staff, though it did not identify them in the supplied report.
The decision follows an 81-81 regular season and a loss to the Chicago White Sox in the Wild Card Series. Houston became the first team to reach the postseason without finishing above .500, according to the source. The Astros were eliminated in the series, ending their 2026 campaign.
Espada took over as manager after Dusty Baker retired following the 2023 season. The appointment was Espada’s first as a major-league manager; before his promotion, he served as Houston’s bench coach. He joined the Astros in 2018 after three seasons as an infield and third-base coach with the New York Yankees.
Houston also failed to advance in Espada’s previous two postseasons. The team was swept by the Detroit Tigers in the 2024 Wild Card Series and did not qualify for the playoffs in 2025. Across his managerial tenure, Espada did not record a postseason win, the source reported.
Astros owner Jim Crane thanked Espada in a statement, citing his work, enthusiasm for baseball and commitment to the organization. Crane said Espada had represented both the club and the Houston community positively and offered best wishes to him and his family.
The managerial change comes amid broader turnover in the organization. Houston fired general manager Dana Brown in August, leaving the club seeking both a manager and a general manager, according to the report. The supplied material does not specify who will lead either search or name candidates for the openings.
At the time of the report, Houston and the Seattle Mariners were identified as the two teams with vacant managerial positions. The report said interim managers Chad Tracy of the Boston Red Sox and Andy Green of the New York Mets would remain with those clubs. It also noted that the Philadelphia Phillies had recently agreed to a two-year deal with Don Mattingly, removing his interim designation.
