Mariners to Interview Astros Manager Joe Espada for Opening

Joe Espada’s next interview could come across the AL West, with the Astros’ manager set to speak with the Mariners about Seattle’s open dugout job.

Houston has allowed Seattle to meet with Espada, whose Astros contract runs through the end of the month. Neither club has formally announced the arrangement, and Houston has not declared its plans for either the manager’s office or its general manager position.

Espada arrived in Houston as bench coach before the 2018 season and took over as manager after Dusty Baker stepped away following the 2023 campaign. His three years at the helm have produced a 256-229 record and division flags in 2024 and 2026.

His full nine-year run in the organization has covered plenty of October baseball: a World Series title in 2022, two additional American League pennants, seven division crowns and eight postseason trips. Even after Chicago swept Houston out of the Wild Card Series last month, Espada made clear that remaining with the Astros would be welcome.

He said he respects the club’s decision-making process and feels fortunate for the years spent around division races, Championship Series and a World Series winner. Having experienced those moments as both a coach and manager, he said, he would like to keep being part of them.

Houston’s uneven division winner

The Astros reached the postseason for the ninth time in 10 seasons, but their .500 record also reflected a roster stretched thin. The club used a franchise-record 19 starters, issued the most walks in the American League and received one of the weakest offensive seasons an Astros outfield has produced.

Houston has also watched major pieces leave in recent seasons. Alex Bregman departed in free agency, Kyle Tucker and Mauricio Dubón were traded, and Framber Valdez reached free agency. The replacements did not sufficiently cover those losses, while several offseason pitching additions failed to take hold. The Astros dismissed general manager Dana Brown on Aug. 24.

Seattle seeks an outside voice

The Mariners began their search after moving on from Wilson, and the club has stated from the outset that it wants to look beyond its own organization. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has said prior Major League managerial work is not mandatory, though it would be an advantage.

Dipoto said Seattle needs a new perspective, whether that changes preparation, communication or the language used around the club. The next manager, he said, will be part of a collaborative effort to identify areas the organization may not be seeing clearly.

This is the third managerial search of Dipoto’s Seattle tenure, which began after the 2015 season. His first choice was Scott Servais, a longtime friend from their playing days in Colorado and later Dipoto’s assistant general manager with the Angels from 2012 through 2015.

Servais was fired in August 2024 during his ninth season. Wilson, a Mariners franchise favorite who had been working in a special-assignment role on the player-development side, replaced him without an interim designation. Wilson’s stint ended following Seattle’s 76-86 finish in 2026.

Neither Servais nor Wilson had managed at any level before receiving the Seattle job. Dipoto pointed to that recent inward-looking pattern when explaining why the Mariners are broadening this search.

The opening still carries appeal. Seattle has a homegrown starting rotation, Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh in the middle of the club’s plans, and a roster built to contend now in an AL West that offered little separation this season. The incoming manager also is expected to have input on filling part of the coaching staff after four notable departures, while most of the pitching coaches are set to remain.

Seattle and Philadelphia are the only Major League clubs currently seeking a manager. For Espada, the Mariners’ conversation offers a possible landing spot if Houston decides its long clubhouse run needs a different voice.