The Houston Astros became the first team with a .500 record to clinch a playoff berth after earning a 9-0 win over the Athletics on Sunday, and as a result, Joe Espada will remain manager to begin the new week. But how many more days does he have left on the job? Evidently, even a deep postseason run would not guarantee him the skipper role for the 2027 campaign.
Longtime MLB reporter and writer Ken Rosenthal is not ruling out the possibility of the Astros moving on from Espada, regardless of where they finish this year.
“Remember, we're talking about a team that parted ways with its general manager after winning the {2022} World Series,” he noted on the “Foul Territory” podcast. “And it could be that they do exactly the same with Joe Espada, even if they win the World Series, which I do not expect them to do.
“The problem is they're going to hire a new general manager… the new general manager you would think would want to hire his own manager, and from that perspective alone, Espada is in trouble…. {Owner} Jim Crane has a high, sometimes unreasonable standard of success, and he can be picky with who is running his baseball team.”
Article Continues Below"Jim Crane has a high, sometimes unreasonable standard of success."@Ken_Rosenthal believes Joe Espada should not be held responsible if the Astros don't go far in the postseason. pic.twitter.com/FY3OHMWD0j
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) September 28, 2026
Rosenthal commended Espada for what he has done in the face of significant injury troubles and limited pitching talent, but he does not think the current landscape of the organization bodes well for his future status. The Astros fired former GM Dana Brown in late August, so the new front-office leader will have no allegiance to the current manager. Espada can still establish himself as a desirable candidate, however.
Houston will host the Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three American League Wild Card Series beginning on Tuesday. With October-tested players like MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez, future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve and 2022 World Series MVP Jeremy Pena competing, this squad should be a tough out during these playoffs.
Astros fans are not thrilled with Espada right now, but they would probably be open to keeping him if the AL West champions were to enjoy a surprise deep run. It is unclear if ownership would feel the same way.