How Joe Espada's Contract Status with Astros Could Affect MLB Managerial Market

Yes, Espada is tied to Houston for the time being, but knowing that his contract is up in 2026 could cause some ripple effects throughout the market.

There are multiple teams looking at manager candidates right now. The Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, and the Los Angeles Angels are all searching the market.

The Texas Rangers wasted no time finding their new manager, and quite possibly that was a great move, considering Skip Schumaker was on a short list of the best possible available MLB manager candidates.

So, who does that leave and why would the Astros have any say in the 2026 market?

Who Might Hold Out for the Opportunity?

Well top guys like David Ross, George Lombard Sr., Mark DeRosa and Ryan Flaherty might turn away an opportunity with the Colorado Rockies or the Washington Nationals if they believed holding on one more year might land them a better job with Houston.

That is in fact, exactly what Schumaker did. After leaving the Marlins, he took a position in the front office of the Rangers, possibly waiting for the right opportunity.

The Rockies offered Bud Black eight years of job security, even when six of those resulted in losing records. Dave Martinez had a seven-and-a-half-year stint with the Washington Nationals, ending with a 500-622 record. So, it seems that job security would not be a major concern for these two teams, but winning is a long way off for each of them.

Astros Injury Plagued Problems

After a year full of injuries, all of this discussion could be irrelevant. Houston started the year off with a 55-35 record and held down the lead in the AL West. Then, disaster struck. Over the course of the season 28 different players were placed on the injured list.

The injuries reached all across their core, including stars like Josh Hader, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena. The injuries impacted everything from starting and relief pitching to offense. The team tied for 14th in OPS, 16th in home runs and 21st in runs scored. These stats don't equate to a winning season, but they also highlight just how significant the injuries were to the team.

While coaching changes are in the works, Espada will hold down his spot for 2026 at least. While one must consider the injuries, the sweeping changes being made throughout the organization seem to point to the fact that Espada is not untouchable.

Whether or not that affects the manager market for 2026 will be a storyline left untold for a while.