After firing suspended manager A.J. Hinch on Monday, the Astros suddenly find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to find a new skipper just weeks before the start of spring training. But there’s no shortage of candidates to replace Hinch, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26.
The Astros have an in-house option in bench coach Joe Espada, but they otherwise appear to be looking outside the organization. Veteran managers Dusty Baker, Buck Showalter, Bruce Bochy and Jeff Banister are on the team’s list of candidates. So are Raul Ibanez and Will Venable, who – like Espada – carry no managerial experience at the MLB level.
Baker, Showalter and Bochy are three of the most accomplished managers of the past couple decades. It’s already known Baker, who last managed in 2017, has interest in the position. Baker and Showalter were serious contenders for the Phillies’ managerial job before they hired Joe Girardi in the fall. Bochy, meanwhile, doesn’t seem likely to take the helm in Houston or anywhere else this year. The soon-to-be 65-year-old told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he’s hitting “pause” after managing in every season from 1995-2019.
Banister, 56, has prior managerial experience in Texas. He led the Rangers for four years, but they parted with him after the 2018 campaign, and he spent last season in Pittsburgh’s front office. Ibanez has been working in the Dodgers’ front office – a role he seems content to keep. As of October, Ibanez wasn’t interested in interviewing for managerial posts, but perhaps the Astros will be able to change his mind. Venable, the Cubs’ third base coach, did meet with Chicago as well as the Giants regarding their managerial openings before those teams went in other directions earlier this offseason.
Along with trying to find a new manager, the Astros and owner Jim Crane will have to land a GM to succeed the ousted Jeff Luhnow. They hope to reel in Hinch’s successor by Feb. 1, per Berman, and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes that they’re likely to fill that position before tabbing Luhnow’s replacement.
take ausmus! he has great leadership!
or cora hasn’t been suspended, you know?
When was the last time a team (or multiple like is the case now) had to search for a GM this late in the offseason?
i don’t think i can remember. but that’s more to do with my memory after multiple concussions i have had.
i agree Brad Asmus is a solid choice ?!
Brad Ausmus would never join this dumpster fire. Never forget that the Astros worked together as a team to implement a systematic cheating scheme which resulted in them successfully stealing a World Series, an MVP Award, and many millions of dollars.
And Manfred let the players get away with it with zero consequences despite finding in his report that this was a “player-driven” cheating conspiracy.
Beisbolista personally chats with Brad Ausmus everyday. They have deep discussions over NY style pizza and a coffee. He knows what makes Brad Ausmus tick.
Or is Beisbolista just another, Blowhard????
Ding Ding Ding.
Beisbolista is back ladies and gentlemen. Providing us with some hot air and finger pointing. GREAT to have you back!
Wow there you are!!! You’ve been real quiet recently! Was wondering if you had passed away due to chronic severe bu77hurt from being so horrifically wrong. Imagine showing back up on this board after taking such an enormous fat L. Begone fool
Enormous-very large in size
fat-large in bulk or circumference
Interesting adjectives to use together. Might need to get out the blowhard dictionary and find some others!
You kids ought to get a room…..
Blowhard attract, Blowhards! How are you, Vandals?
Are you getting ready to watch EVERY ML game this year?
LOL
Only watch portions of about 500 a year.
Trolling adolescents never grow up.
And yet, here you are defending yourself! And with your patented all caps “LOL”!
Great work, chap!
Won’t happen but I want Dusty in Boston. Not sabermetric style so he won’t be a candidate but his stability is what I want. This also will not happen but the team could do worse than rehire John Farrell short term. I was happy when he left but under the circumstances, the fact that he knows much of the roster is a good thing. Again short term unless he pulls abrabbut out of his hat like in 13.
@assumefactsnotinevidence you got a twitter? Lol watching you roast loud mouths is epic and worth a follow haha
beisbol – it’s time for you to move on. Everyone else has.
Are you not the same moron who for weeks has been yelling at everyone about how the Astros were going to be stripped of their title and forced to pay $100 million dollars and lose every draft pick for a decade and not be allowed to sign free agents? Aren’t you going he same nitwit who has been yelling at everyone about how the Astros are the biggest cheats of all time and that’s how everyone will see then always? You should change your name from beisbol, to chronically wrong.
Dodge – this is a long string. Who are you talking to?
Never mind. Thanks for the edit.
Speaking of not making it past 5th grade, you obviously dodged English class every year after 5th yourself.
guys, stop fighting.
you’re both morons.
there, happy? (no? seriously, who gives a crap? get over yourselves and try to enjoy the season, even though whatever team you root for won’t got 162-0 and you’ll be able to whine about that)
Replying to Beisbolista…Hhhmmm,,,,and players who were involved or knew this was happening during 2017 that also “anonymously” reported along with Fiers, (the 4 guys that reported were fired/let go by Astros and all weren’t too happy) sure as hell didn’t return their WS RINGS or better yet there 500G WS bonus….Don’t spit on the hand that fed ya…
Mfm420 blaze it dude! You’re so cool and intelligent
No Alex Cora?
Another cheater!? Loser Astro fans….
So you think Astros fans are losers? That’s an interesting opinion, thank you for sharing.
They might wait a bit for Beltran to become available.
What’s wrong with Espada ??
I was hoping he would get the Giants job.
Ya hope we can keep espada. Think crane doing his due diligence first to see if he was involved any in 2018 when he came on
Crane said he wanted a clean sweep. Thus how do you keep someone from the current staff appearance wise?
I have no doubt Farhan would have fired him after what’s just happened.
I’m sure they want some one who is analytical.
Just put an Alexa on the bench.
Alexa Cora
They don’t have the luxury to be picky anymore. They need a leader so an old school manager like Dusty or Bruce makes a ton of sense.
Bruce Bochy doesn’t want to manage now.
Which makes me wonder why Dusty Baker is on the list.
because he’ll work for 50 bucks and a sandwich?
at least the astros don’t have any .220 hitters for him to pop in at leadoff (or anyone with speed, cause, you know, put the fast guys who can’t get on base at the top, right?)
Trade Shelton! let the rebuild begin!
bochy>buck>dusty
Bochy not managing next year.
I’m just saying of the names listed I’d want Bochy far and away more than the others.
They need somebody who loves to be hated. Sounds like a job for Dusty Baker.
Pete Mackanin
Would rather keep Espada on as manager. Bochy would be nice though if we can’t keep espada. Please don’t hire dusty baker or showalter though
Brice Bochy’s retired now.
Was espadrille an Astros coach during the 2017? If so, his candidacy would be tainted from the start.
*Espada*
No, Espada joined the Astros in 2018.
Dusty
they should hire oscar the grouch as their new manager
Very underrated comment.
Should be the Houston Garbage Pail Kids or Houston Trash Pack.
It’s time to rebrand.
Dusty Baker as Astros manager is cruel and unusual punishment.
Pretty sure this is a Justin Verlander or Zach Greinke burner account now.
Give Espada a shot. The players are already familiar with him.
Hire Showalter.
Hire Showalter.
I’m sure Verlander will veto any Ausmus talk.
Bring Dusty back into baseball….
Insiders are saying that Beltran is expected to return as the manager after he’s let go from the Mets organization.
Dusty Baker has an amazing feel for personalities and situations. They need a healer. He would be a good choice.
but astros players are not the ones hurt by this. they need a someone who can discipline players and bring order in the club. mike scoscia!
I like Mike……
But explain how he would work with what is probably the most analytical, computerized organization in MLB.
Can’t imagine him working with pitching coach Brent Strom.
he has worked well with eppler after chasing out dipoto. crane should just tell him to work with f/o.
I hear Buck Showalter is available or maybe Lou Pinella lol
Wally Backman
Players and fans like a guy like John Gibbons. That seems to me to be what the *’s need right now until this mess blows over. And he has postseason experience and leadership style to balance multiple big personalities in the clubhouse. Never won a World Series though…and I also think he a serious chance to end up with the Mets if Beltran gets the boot there.
Really think that Beltran gets shown the door in Queens?
Nah, I think the Mets will circle back to Eduardo Perez if Beltran gets fired (unless Perez gets the Astros or Red Sox job).
Gibby would be perfect there.
Bannister couldn’t get the job in Pittsburgh…. means he will win a WS with the Astros
This would be a perfect gig for John Gibbons.
Respected, experienced, managed all stars, playoff experience, lives in Texas.
Bringing in someone from outside will look Much better
I’m on the Gibby wagon,,,,,perfect fit
Gibby is just the kinda Texas charmer they need right now
Gibby is just the kinda Texas charmer they need right now
Espada will be the next to be impeached.
any astros fans think aj hunch just completely tainted the astros for what they did?
Gibbons is the guy!!
I like Venable considering there’s limited options at this point.
Dusty is the 1 to hire, might take Astros to the WS. Deserves a shot, everybody loves Dusty. Except starting pitchers.
Stohs won’t b going to WS, they are tainted & broken & I don’t think any coach will bring them back that soon, plus they just lost their best pitcher, and some other teams look dominant now
Buck is the perfect guy for them. Very detail oriented though probably behind on the analytics
Ozzie Guillen
mike scoscia is the right person to right the wrong!
First time I’ve heard that name, but he’d get ‘er done for sure.
How is Dusty Baker a serious candidate on anyone’s list anymore?
Because many baseball fans want the big name with an unsuccessful track record over the unknown quantity with a fresh outlook.
I have to agree. He’s the Marty Schottenheimer of baseball. He’ll get you to the postseason on the regular no problem, but he’s clearly allergic to championships.
Manfred should make them manage with an iPad taped to a bat.
When the Astros are on the road are they just going to get boo’d all game for the whole season?
absolutely! i’d do it every time they bat!
Yeah, I’m sure they’re all really worried about that…
So…
The Astros fired their suspended GM and manager. And now they get to just hire new ones.
And the draft picks they are losing wouldn’t be on the team for another 3-5 years.
What exactly was their punishment that will affect them in any way before 2023 at the earliest?
The fine that amounts to couch change for their owner?
Upon further review, they got less than a slap on the wrist here.
Yep, it’s ridiculous. The players were complicit in this whole thing. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be banging a trash can for the players to hear. I think they should take the rings away from every player on that roster and strip away their World Series trophy as well. To me, this is much worse than the 1919 Black Sox scandal, which only involved some players not the entire organization.
To me, the only punishment for the players that would make sense is vacating the title/rings, and the league won’t open that can of worms.
That kind of stuff makes sense at less organized levels like HS/college sports but it’s just symbolic at this point and does more to punish fans and appease internet outrage than anything else. What are they going to do, take the trophy and live stream driving over it with a Suburban on YouTube? They can’t go back and make the team not dogpile on the field after winning.
The 2017 World Series, is already tainted forever and the same will probably go for 2018. Going forward, some will still consider them legitimate, while others will talk about trash cans every time the topic comes up. It’s the same with the steroid era, there may not be any official asterisks in there but many if not most fans will always look at those numbers differently.
And the righteous outrage WILL fade with time just the way it has with the roid users and even Pete Rose.
You think stealing signs is worse than throwing games? Sheesh…
Stealing signs with electronic equipment all while the players, coaches and front office are totally complicit with it is definitely worse than 9 guys throwing games in my opinion. That cheating by the entire organization led to them winning a World Series they shouldn’t have won. “Sheesh.”
I guess it’s just really potential trade chips that they otherwise would have had are just gone.
what exacly do you want? maximum fine under the CBA, loss of trade chips and cheap talent, and they need a new manager and GM. its actually a very good punishment. theyre both punished now but down the road as well. as for more current things, i think there wae little the league could do with integrity that would have limited the astros this year. things like suspending players or handicaping them during games weren’t really possible.
Phil Garner for 1 year
Then what
I think an old school guy like Dusty Baker would be a good switch for the Astros. They can put a guy with binoculars in the upper deck and have him signal to the dugout with a t-shirt.
Why did the Mets hire Beltran when they KNEW he was involved in this mess?
I would bring in Ibanez if he is interested in the job. He seems like a new school mold manager who should be able to create a new culture. If not, I don’t think Showalter would be a bad hire. Dusty should definitely not be hired imo.
On top of it all, they should also start to unload some of their players to distance themselves from this whole mess of a situation… At least throughout the season. Could see Springer, Correa in new uniforms by next season. Maybe Altuve but he’s got a huge contract. Build around Bergman, Yordon Alvarez and Kyle Tucker.
Ibanez wants to stay in the Dodgers FO currently.
Dusty has no clue how to manage a pitching staff. He has destroyed several startera arms.
Dusty has no clue how to manage a pitching staff. He has destroyed several startera arms.
Give us the grand poobah, Ned Yost back. He will get this team grounded.
Get back to the basics of good, clean baseball. Bunt the runners over, play some small ball. Those dirty analytical cheaters in Houston need some midwestern values.
Mets already have their eye on a Bobby Valentine reunion once they fire Beltran.
Chico Escuela…beisbol be berry, berry good tu hin.
I’m not sure Dusty Baker is the answer given his style of postseason management, but more importantly the Astros are a veteran team clearly in win-now mode, so Crane might be best served steering clear of those with no management experience. In my opinion the Tigers made that mistake in hiring Ausmus. He’s developed into a competent manager, but that took a few years.
Bring in John Gibbons!!!
Just make Zack Greinke the player/manager. You can’t get more honest than that.
I heard Cora is looking…
Good point!
Why not wait for Mets to fire Beltrán and hire him back to Houston as manager? Unfinished business, you know…
You have to be joking to think the Astros would hire Beltran, the one implicit in the scandal, as the manager who is going to put the scandal behind them?
Espada Dusty or Erstad. Darin was a hard nosed player who never took a shortcut and left it all on the field. They say he has fine leadership skills as well. No way Bochy manages this season.
So much for the conspiracy theory of Bochy not wanting to retire, but being forced out by Zaidi.
I’m going to beat the Arte Howe drum all day
102 comments deep, and not once has anyone invoked the name of Bo Porter. Hey, he was in HOU at the dawn of the rebuild, and he can resume his position until the sun sets on this team.
MLB network was talking up Bo Porter
What were they saying? I remember his time here – couldn’t manage a bullpen at all.
Nolan Ryan
So let’s be clear at the onset, not only does HOU not have a field manager, the architect of their baseball operations, their extreme analytical mindset came from Luhnow. He was both President of Baseball Ops and GM so both those roles are vacant and there’s a huge vacuum as to how baseball ops will be run in 2020
Throwing some gas on the dumpster fire let’s not forget HOU’s assistant GM was canned in October, it’s likely his replacement will be promoted to be a care-taker GM until a permanent head of baseball ops is brought in.
Don’t be surprised if you see defections from their analytics team, from their player development staff, people without a doubt will be open-minded especially those personally brought in by Luhnow.
The list for managers will be anyone with prior experience without a job and current bench coaches. It’s a win now team so likely you’ll want someone with MLB experience preferably with post season experience, I think analytics while desired isnt’ a must..
Gibbons ex-TOR, Baker ex-WAS come to mind, I don’t see the fit with Showalter, he’s just too “Buck”. Green ex-SD? Obviously Bochy is perfect but he’s serious about stepping away, him and his family is involved with French national team.
I think flip a coin on Baker/Gibbons and don’t be surprised if Espada gets demoted to a base coach and whomever manages brings in at least a guy or two of their own.
Would someone, for the love of God and baseball, hire Doug Mientkiewicz to manage their club? He is a gamer and a hard nosed competitor. He is the next great baseball coach and a future Hall of Famer from what he will do in the dugout of the team smart enough to hire him. You want a yes-man, don’t hire him. You want to say yes to winning the most rings this decade? Make the call.
What about Lou Piniella, Tommy Lasorda or Whitey Herzog?
Every is dismissing the grand poobah, Ned Yost. He’s a free agent who can teach the values of a bunt and defense. And most importantly, integrity of the game.
Sure, him too.
If in an alternate universe AJ Hinch retired and rode off into the sunset of his own free will, I think Espada would be the easy choice. But, promoting from within after this calamity just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. I feel like he can stick around to keep continuity with regards to analytics while an old school guy like Buck Showalter comes in. Then when he goes in a couple years Espada, if he’s still around, can take over.
Tony LaRussa
A warm body will be the best option for the Astros at this point. Maybe go Jerry Jones for a year. No GM and Orbit as coach.
The obvious choices for Houston are Cora as GM and Beltran as coach. However, Cora would be a player gm and Beltran would be a player coach. See how this works? Cheating can continue as usual but neither the coach nor the gm can be punished since they are also players. Boom!
Wow, you’re really insightful, Surty, even 3-5 year old kids can “…see how this works…” and understand and appreciate your “wisdom”!