Dusty Baker might be finished as a manager, but the baseball lifer has a job in the Astros front office anytime he wants it. Owner Jim Crane told reporters (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) that Baker is “always welcome” in the Astros organization. Meanwhile, the long-time skipper said he is “retiring from the field” but hasn’t made up his mind about what comes next (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic).
As for hiring a new manager to replace Baker, the Astros are just beginning their search. Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggests that bench coach Joe Espada and former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus are “strong candidates.” Ausmus was a contender for the Astros GM position last offseason and the managerial opening back in 2020. Espada was another candidate in the team’s last managerial search, and he has interviewed for numerous other managing jobs in the years since. McTaggart also identified several contenders for the gig, including Ausmus, Espada, and Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister.
More news from around the American League…
- After four years on the Angels’ coaching staff (three as pitching coach), Matt Wise has accepted a new job as the bullpen coach for the White Sox, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal and Sam Blum of The Athletic. While going from pitching coach to bullpen coach might seem like a step backward, Wise was something of a sitting duck in the Angels organization. Los Angeles is looking to hire a new manager after parting ways with Phil Nevin, and that new manager will presumably want to hire a coaching staff of his own.
- The Tigers, meanwhile, need a new first base coach. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Alfredo Amézaga will not return to A.J. Hinch’s coaching staff next season. He joined the staff ahead of the 2023 campaign after previously working as a minor league coach in the Braves organization. Amézaga is also a manager in the Mexican Winter League.
- Finally, over in the AL East, the Orioles made some changes in their scouting and player development departments. A dozen front office staffers were promoted to new roles, including Matt Blood, the new vice president of player development and domestic scouting; Koby Perez, the new vice president of international scouting and operations; and Anthony Villa, the new director of player development (per Roch Kubatko of MASN). Blood was the previous director of player development, while Perez served as director of international scouting. Villa was the minor league hitting coordinator in 2023.
I just don’t see Crane and Bagwell’s infatuation with Ausmus. Other than him being Bagwell’s teammate, what has Ausmus done to prove he is a capable GM or Manager? Didn’t do particularly well at all previously. I would hate that hire. Give Espada the job.
+1000
Agreed. Ausmus has ties to the team that can be respected but bring him in as a bench coach and a possible successor to Espada. He hasn’t sufficiently proven himself to be handed the keys to guide the organization in what might be a fading dynasty.
Ausmus is a low-energy manager. The Tigers would get screwed on a bad call, Ausmus would walk out of the dugout, have an amicable chat with the ump, nod in humble agreement and meekly walk back to the dugout to continue spitting sunflower seeds. No fire at all. And his players followed his lead.
Crane’s pal Bags is a buddy with Ausmus.
The Astros demise will be accelerated if Jeff Bagwell continues to have that much influence.
Can quickly become Brady Anderson and Peter Angelos.
He was funny the one time he really blew his cork as Tigers manager. He took off his jersey top and laid it across the plate after being ejected. But no energy usually was his game.
D – Ausmus is low energy for sure and I don’t think he’s a good manager…yet.
But to your general point about a manager addressing an ump on a bad call, considering how managers and players get tossed for just looking at an ump wrong these days, I don’t see the value of kicking up dust and yelling at an ump just to get thrown out. That hurts the team. In my many decades of watching baseball I’ve never seen an ump say, “you’re right, that was a bad call and I change my mind”. So it’s all really all for show. I understand the leadership aspect of the guys watching the manager fight for them, but I think there are other ways to lead that are more important and meaningful.
Yours are good points for sure, but they don’t apply equally to all teams. Contending teams get respect, including from the umps. Blown calls are blown calls, and a manager just looks like a hothead for arguing.
Noncontending teams don’t get respect, and it seems like they get a disproportionate share of bad calls. Accepting your role as league patsy doesn’t garner respect, by umps or by your players. Kicking a little dirt and getting tossed is the only way to stand up for your guys. Yes, there are other ways to show leadership, but a low-energy manager probably doesn’t show leadership in those other ways either.
Absolutely agree. It’s all relative and subjective.
When he was with the Angels he seemed like he was in over his head.
My biggest complaint with Ausmus was I didn’t think he knew how to manage, I was very slow to come around the Angels bullpen has long been the GMs fault, not the managers.
Here is a prediction, the moment an Angel GM gives the manager the bullpen bullets he needs, that’s the moment the Angel manager becomes a good manager.
Minasian hasn’t come close to doing that. Since he hasn’t done that in 3 years, I don’t have much hope the 4th time is the charm.
Why is Bagwell’s opinion relevant lol? That’s the real problem
Brad Ausmus doesn’t fit on the Astros. The offense is nearly plug and play but the pitching, no matter how good, still must be managed. Ausmus blew it with a pitching staff of the ages in Detroit.
Or player.
Why take such a huge risk with Ausmus when a team like the Astros can go with someone much more proven.
Makes little sense. Why hand the keys of a dynasty to a guy like Ausmus. Would make more sense to keep the ball rolling downhill.
I’m surprised there are no rumors about Jeff Bagwell getting the Astros manager job, considering his special relationship with Crane.
I believe Chris Carpenter is still employed by the Angels. He would be an obvious option as pitching coach.
Bagwell wants to be in his ear in the front office. Not doing the grunt work.
He shouldn’t be doing either.
MLB coaches are also subject to drug tests (see Ron Washington). Bags is pretty open (on air) about his thoughts on smoking.
Tigers new 1B coach… Miguel Cabrera.
Might get Sandy once the new manager is hired in Cleveland.
Alfredo Amezaga was Miggy’s good luck charm. Whenever Miggy reached 1B, he took off his hat and Cabrera would rub his head. No team no longer has that need.
Plus he could get some popcorn or a hot dog between innings !
Wasn’t Ausmus like one of the worst managers rated in the modern day? I don’t know too much about him but when I do, it’s all been negative.
Joe Torre was terrible when he started. As he gained experience, and was given better talent to work with, he got better. Not saying Ausmus will do the same, but he’s capable of it.
Comparing him to Joe Torre? Really?
There’s not much to know other than Mike Illitch went to great lengths and financial extremes to build the Tigers into a behemoth, and he ended up hiring rookie manager Ausmus to cut his teeth with that team. What might have been otherwise.
I will say Ausmus didn’t really fail in ANA in his lone year there. Maddon was available, and Moreno would have fired Connie Mack to make way for him. So his Angels tenure wasn’t Ausmus’ fault, and to some extent DET wasn’t either. He just had two owners make horrific judgment calls.
Disagree. He was awful in Anaheim.
Alan Trammel was the worst.
Yeah, The White Sox getting a pitching coach from the Angels is a step backward for the White Sox org, not the coach.But then again the White Sox have a pitching coach sleeping in the dugout, so I guess they need one sleeping in the bullpen too.
The guy had narcolepsy, give him a break!
Bannister name as manager coming up, it’s publicity stunt. I don’t think any organization would consider him as manager unless it’s the Pirates. They extended Shelton and his current staff will be intact next year. I would love to see Haines gone
“os Angeles is looking to hire a new manager after parting ways with Phil Nevin, and that new manager will presumably want to hire a coaching staff of his own” that’s never been the case since Scioscia. Every new mgr says at his presser’i like the coaches we got here” which means they don’t have the power. Even Hatcher got fired by the GM behind Scioscias back
And speaking of Brad Ausmus good luck to him but it says a lot about the Angels’ managerial choices when they never manage in the majors again. Not for lack of trying. Maddon can’t even get an interview eventhough he begged for a Mets interview. Nevin is on novodys short list.neithee is Showalter if they’re gonna go that way.
Good to see my O;s reward some folks for the great scouting and player development they have been doing. Definitely well earned all around, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of the fruits of the labor at the big league level.
Don Mattingly for Astros job. I’ve been hearing Joe Espada’s for years as a possible manager but it never comes to fruition. Must be a bad interview.
No, a token interview. He checks off a box.
Or he’s been basically told he is taking over for Dusty and letting the teams know. It helps them check the box, too. I know the Astros used to not let other teams interview Jose Cruz if they were only interviewing him to check that same box. We will see shortly if he’s the man or not.
John Gibbons. Right guy for vets and the young players, will hold guys accountable when necessary. Just have a guy challenge calls on his behalf.
Ausmus is not a good manager. He might be good as the Tiger’s 1B coach. Even there….I’m not sure.
I get it baseball jobs are limited and good to have however Matt Wise, who might not have been retained, left a sinking ship for a sunk ship. But hey he stayed in the game and expectations are low so things can only go up
Yeah….go get Ass Mess….that always turned out well…
Definitely not a wise decision, by the white Sox. Glad he’s gone. Probably not a good thing when ohtani and his interpreter tell you that a pitcher is tipping his pitches.
Surf’s up!
I’ve asked/wondered many a time; Can POBO and GM contracts be traded/sold?
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“Meanwhile” should not come in the middle of a sentence. It needs to be at the start, and at the start only.
How do you mess this up after getting it right earlier in the article?