I’m not entirely convinced it could happen with Ausmus. I mean, Ausmus could succeed in this role, but I think it is clear at this point that the manager and front office need to be more in sync to optimize the entire operation again. I’d like to think I am more open to the idea of Ausmus than others, but that relationship with Bagwell would make it difficult to believe that it was solely for baseball reasons.

While it remains to be seen about the direction of the front office under Brown, I think hiring Espada would help calm those doubts to a certain extent.īrad Ausmus is another name to watch considering his relationship with Jeff Bagwell, who is among Jim Crane’s inner circle. Hinch and then-general manager Jeff Luhnow. It is almost easy to forget that Espada served as the bench coach in 2019 under then-manager A.J.

The long-time bench coach would make the most sense in terms of keeping some continuity while hopefully being more in line with Dana Brown and the front office than Dusty Baker.įrom the outside looking in, Espada fits the bill with what I hope the Astros are looking for in their next manager, with his approach toward analytics and player development highlighted in his time in New York with the Yankees and Houston. First, what is to come next in the Astros’ managerial search? At this juncture, I’d like to believe the front-runner is possibly Joe Espada. In light of Craig Counsell agreeing to a five-year, $40 million contract with the Cubs to become the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball, I found myself wondering two things.

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