Astros: The team is letting manager Joe Espada go

After the Angels and the A's, another general manager in the division has lost his job in the middle of the season.

A few hours ago, it was reported that the Astros had fired their general manager, Dana Brown. He had been with the team for nearly four years.

As we recall, Jeff Luhnow left Houston after the sign-stealing scandal, but there has been no stability since then.

James Click, who won the World Series as GM in 2022, wasn't offered a decent contract, so he left.

Brown was a puppet of the owner (Jim Crane), who is one of the most demanding owners in sports.

He doesn't let his staff do their jobs.

So what's next? It's only natural to assume that a managerial change is imminent in Houston.

And Bob Nightengale (USA Today) has just confirmed as much.

Joe Espada (who recently took a leave of absence for personal reasons but has since returned) was told he won't be offered a contract at the end of the season.

He was given the choice to finish the season as manager or leave immediately. He chose to see out the remainder of his term.

Espada is currently leading a first-place team, but he isn't even guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

The offseason will therefore be a busy one for the Astros, an organization that will undergo major changes on many levels with the GM and the manager.

That said, it's true that as long as the team doesn't sign long-term pitchers and doesn't spend as much as it could, it won't be easy.

Good luck to the next GM who gets named.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.