Astros will not renew contract of manager Joe Espada - ESPN

Joe Espada, who guided the Houston Astros to two American League West titles in his three seasons, will not be returning as manager of the team in 2027.

The Astros, who were swept in two games by the Chicago White Sox in the AL wild-card series, said Wednesday that they would not be renewing Espada's contract when it expires at the end of the month.

«We are thankful for Joe's hard work, his passion for the game, and for his commitment to the Houston Astros,» team owner Jim Crane said in a statement. «He represented the Astros and the Houston community in the most positive way. We wish he and his family the best moving forward.»

Overall, Espada, 51, was 256-229 as manager in Houston, who had granted permission on Tuesday to the Seattle Mariners, a divisional rival, to interview Espada for their managerial vacancy.

The Astros also parted ways with catching instructor Tim Cossins, game planning coach Tommy Kawamura, third base coach Tony Perezchica, assistant hitting coach Anthony Iapoce and assistant pitching coach Ethan Katz.

Houston will now be searching for a new manager and general manager after former GM Dana Brown was fired in August.

Espada was promoted from bench coach after the 2023 season when Dusty Baker retired. He helped the Astros recover from a 12-24 start to win their seventh AL West crown in eight seasons in 2024 but lost in the AL wild-card game. After the Astros finished second in 2025 and failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2016, he guided Houston to another division title in 2026, finishing 81-81.

It was the first time in MLB history that a team reached the playoffs without a winning record.

It was a roller-coaster 2026 season for the Astros, who had the lowest winning percentage for