Astros part ways with manager Joe Espada after three seasons

The Houston Astros are moving on from manager Joe Espada.

The club announced Wednesday that it will not renew his contract. Espada led Houston to two American League West titles in three seasons and went 256-229 in the regular season. His teams went 0-4 in the postseason.

A busy fall in Houston

The move comes less than two months after the Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown on Aug. 24. Owner Jim Crane thanked Espada in a statement. "We are thankful for Joe's hard work, his passion for the game and for his commitment to the Houston Astros," Crane said. "He represented the Astros and the Houston community in the most positive way."

Espada was also given permission last week to interview for the open manager job with the Seattle Mariners according to reports.

Coaching staff changes

Five coaches will not return: catching instructor Tim Cossins, game-planning coach Tommy Kawamura, third-base coach Tony Perezchica and assistant hitting coaches Anthony Iapoce and Ethan Katz.

Pitching coach Josh Miller, first-base coach Dave Clark, field coordinator Jason Bell, hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte will stay for 2027. Bench coach Omar López, who led Venezuela to the World Baseball Classic title in March, was offered a new role in the organization.

What went wrong

Houston won the division at 81-81 this season and reached the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years. The roster still showed cracks. The Astros used a club-record 19 starting pitchers and led the American League with 650 walks.

Espada, a native of Puerto Rico, joined Houston as bench coach after the 2017 World Series title and replaced Dusty Baker as manager after the 2023 season. On Sept. 30 he said the team's core was still strong as long as Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez were in Houston.