1 fired MLB manager bizarrely gets a Manager of the Year vote

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1 fired MLB manager bizarrely gets a Manager of the Year vote

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Nov 10, 2026 10:38 PM ET

One baseball figure is getting something to smile about in the unemployment line.

Major League Baseball officially announced the 2026 winners for American League and National League Manager of the Year. Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable took home the award in the AL, and Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (who led the team to the 2026 World Series title) earned the award in the NL.

With the announcement also came a detailed breakdown of the respective votes. That breakdown revealed something rather strange with the AL Manager of the Year Award.

Apparently, former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada received a vote. Espada earned a third-place vote for Manager of the Year … despite having already been fired by the Astros for his performance in 2026.

The AL Manager of the Year votes https://t.co/N8tKbtOzwr
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 11, 2026

Espada, 51, went just 81-81 last season in what marked the Astros’ worst full-season finish since 2014. While that was still good enough to win the division title in a weak AL West and clinch a playoff spot, Houston was swept out of the AL Wild Card round by the White Sox (led by the eventual AL Manager of the Year Award winner Venable).

The Astros have yet to replace Espada (who had been in charge since 2024), but they are being linked to some very intriguing manager names. Meanwhile, Espada himself might be out of luck after a rival MLB team that was eyeing him for their managerial vacancy ultimately made a different hire instead.

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