Five managerial candidates Astros should consider following Joe Espada firing

Change is afoot for the Houston Astros.

Already in need of a general manager after Dana Brown was dismissed in August, the Astros are also in the market for a manager following Wednesday's announcement that Joe Espada won't return in 2027.

As Houston sets to embark on a pivotal offseason, here are five managerial candidates who should be on owner Jim Crane's radar.

1. Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Rodney Linares

Linares, like his father, Julio Linares, has deep ties to the organization after spending over a decade managing in the Astros farm system, helping develop future stars including Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and George Springer.

Since 2023, he's served on Rays manager Kevin Cash's staff, and with Tampa Bay serving as a potential blueprint for Crane to follow, strong synergy may exist between Linares and Houston's next general manager.

In a September mailbag column, The Athletic's Astros reporter Chandler Rome answered a question on candidates and cited Crane's previous comment on studying "pretty good teams that don't have big payrolls." The Rays, three wins shy of the World Series, have MLB's third-lowest payroll ($95.6M). (h/t Spotrac)

2. Milwaukee Brewers first base coach Spencer Allen

Rome named Matt Klentak and Thad Levine, two execs with prior general manager experience, as names to watch in the front-office opening. Both are employed by the Brewers, who are up 2-0 in the NLCS over the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and if either is the hire, Allen should get a serious look.

In January, he was promoted to first base coach in his fifth season as part of the Brewers organization, having initially joined as assistant minor league field coordinator in 2022 following six seasons as manager at Northwestern (2016-21).

In Shannon Drayer's preview of possible Seattle Mariners managerial candidates, the longtime Mariners reporter noted Allen's strength in fundamentals such as base running and defense, two calling cards of Milwaukee's success. Per FanGraphs, the Brewers ranked fourth in the majors in base running runs above average during the regular season. They also ranked fifth in total defensive runs saved.

3. Chicago White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven

The Houston Chronicle tagged McKinven as a name to watch for Houston's opening, and at 36, he'd join Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera, 34, as the only MLB managers under 40. Youth aside, McKinven would be a fascinating hire considering his successful background.

Per the Chronicle, McKinven spent nine seasons (2016-24) with the Brewers, including roles as an advanced scout, strategist and run-prevention coordinator, while most recently serving as Chicago White Sox bench coach the past two seasons. This year, the Sox completed one of the more remarkable two-year turnarounds in major league history, making the playoffs at 84-78 and reaching the ALDS (after sweeping the Astros in a three-game wild card series) two years removed from going 41-121, the worst record by any ball club in the modern era (since 1900).

4. San Diego Padres special assistant baseball operations and player development Scott Servais

If Crane prefers someone with MLB managing experience but doesn't want to pay top dollar, Servais, a former big league catcher and Mariners manager (2016-24), could be a serviceable value hire.

He went 680-642 overall and posted a winning record five times in seven full seasons (excluding 2020) before being fired amid a 17-27 slump in August 2024. Servais's familiarity with the AL West could be a positive, as might his previous connection to the Astros, who selected him in the third round of the 1988 MLB Draft. He spent parts of six seasons with the organization, playing alongside franchise great first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who has served as senior adviser to ownership and baseball operations since 2023.

5. Rays senior advisor baseball operations Brandon Hyde

The thought process with Hyde is similar to the one with Servais. The former Baltimore Orioles manager had a disappointing end to his first full-time gig (Hyde also served as manager of the Florida Marlins for one game in 2011), getting fired after a disappointing 15-28 start in 2025.

But his work weathering some of Baltimore's leanest years and leading it to its first 100-win campaign since 1980 in 2023 can't be easily dismissed. In December 2025, he joined the Rays in a front-office role, yet at 53, he may still have plenty more to offer inside the dugout.