HOUSTON – Brad Ausmus, the longtime catcher and former Major League manager who spent the last three years as the Yankees bench coach, is flying to Houston on Thursday in anticipation of being named next manager of the Astros, a source told MLB.com on Wednesday.
The team did not confirm the report, which originated from 97.5 FM in Houston.
A respected member of the Astros for two stints that covered 10 seasons as part of an 18-year playing career, Ausmus brings five years of managerial experience, going a combined 386-422 with the Tigers (2014-17) and Angels (’19). The Angels went 72-90 under Ausmus and are looking for their fifth manager since letting him go. He led the Tigers to the AL Central title in 2014 and 86 wins in ‘16.
He also managed Team Israel at the 2012 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers and in the 2026 tournament, when the team went 2-2 but did not advance out of pool play.
Ausmus, 57, is especially close to senior advisor to ownership and baseball operations Jeff Bagwell, who was involved in the hiring process. Ausmus had interviewed for the manager job and GM job previously. The pair were teammates on the Astros from 1997-98 and 2001-05, which included back-to-back NLCS battles against new Astros general manager Randy Flores’ Cardinals in ’04 and ’05.
The hiring of Ausmus comes two weeks after Houston tabbed former Cardinals assistant general manager Flores to take over as GM, replacing Dana Brown. Ausmus replaces Joe Espada, whose contract wasn’t renewed following three seasons on the job, which included a pair of division titles.
“My hope is I get back to Houston at the end of this week, hopefully finalize our manager decision,” Flores said Tuesday night from the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
Next for the Astros will be assembling a coaching staff, including identifying a bench coach to replace Omar López, who remains with the organization. The club didn’t renew the contracts of catching instructor Tim Cossins, game plan coach Tommy Kawamura, third base coach Tony Perezchica, assistant hitting coach Anthony Iapoce and assistant pitching coach Ethan Katz.
Last month, the Astros announced they were retaining pitching coach Josh Miller, first-base coach Dave Clark, field coordinator Jason Bell, hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte, though Bell later departed for a job with the Red Sox.
Ausmus caught more games than any other catcher in Houston history during his playing career. He helped the Astros win division titles in the NL Central in 1997-98 and caught during runs to the NLCS in 2004 and World Series in ’05.
Ausmus hit .246 with 41 homers and 386 RBIs and won three Gold Gloves with Houston. He hit one of the biggest home runs in Astros history, at the time, with a two-out, game-tying homer off Kyle Farnsworth in the bottom of the ninth of Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS against the Braves. The Astros eventually won, 7-6, on a Chris Burke walk-off homer in the 18th inning to clinch the series.
Ausmus played the entire game, starting the game at catcher, playing first base in the 13th through 15th innings before being moved back to catcher.
“As far as personal moments go, it’s probably the highlight,” Ausmus said of his home run. “I would still say that going to the World Series overall was more fun, but if I had to pick one personal moment, that would be the one that stands out.”
Drafted in the 48th round by the Yankees in ‘98 and taken five years later by the Rockies in the expansion draft, Ausmus was traded to the Padres in ‘93 and played three seasons in San Diego before being sent to the Tigers. He played one season in Detroit before a nine-player swap brought him to Houston for the ‘97 season.
Ausmus initially played two seasons in Houston, helping the Astros win back-to-back NL Central titles. The 1997 division title was especially memorable for Ausmus because it was the first for the core of an up-and-coming team that included Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Billy Wagner, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Hampton, Shane Reynolds and Darryl Kile.
“It had been a while since the Astros made the playoffs,” Ausmus said. “Confetti was falling from the Astrodome it seemed like for hours.”
On Jan. 14, 1999, he was traded with C.J. Nitkowski to the Tigers for two Minor Leaguers and Paul Bako, Dean Crow, and Brian Powell. After two more seasons in Detroit, the Astros brought him back in another trade with the Tigers, and he stayed eight more years (2001–08) and guided a talented pitching staff led by Roy Oswalt, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte to the World Series in ‘05.
“I was happy about it,” he said of his return to Houston. “I had enjoyed my first two years there. I knew a lot of the players, had some good friends with the Astros, and was really excited about the move back.”
And now Ausmus is back yet again.