The Seattle Mariners have already begun eyeing a potential candidate for the vacant managerial position.
According to Mark Feinsand, Daniel Kramer and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Mariners will meet with Houston Astros manager Joe Espada regarding the managerial position after firing Dan Wilson shortly after Seattle’s regular season came to an end.
Espada’s contract with the Astros expires at the end of the month, and he has made it clear he wants to remain Houston’s skipper. The 51-year-old has spent nearly a decade in the Astros’ organization, starting out as the bench coach in 2018 before being promoted to manager after Dusty Baker retired following the 2023 season.
During his three years as the Astros’ manager, Espada posted a 256-229 record and guided the Astros to two AL West titles (2024, 2026). Houston most recently was swept by the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card Series this season.
While Espada took the Astros to the playoffs in two of his three seasons, the Astros barely snuck into the postseason, finishing just 81-81 during the regular season. Houston’s flaws were also on full display, as they started a franchise-record 19 different starting pitchers this season, led the AL with 650 walks, and logged only a .662 OPS from their outfielders.
Despite those lackluster stats for the Astros during the regular season, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said that the team needed to go in a different direction, especially after Seattle fell well short of their expectations this past season, following a near-berth to the World Series in 2025.
Whoever the Mariners choose to hire as their next skipper, it would mark the second time already in three years that Seattle has named a new manager.
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