Who Randy Flores Could Pick as the Next Manager of the Astros

The Houston Astros have a new general manager, Randy Flores. The former St. Louis Cardinals assistant general manager is now taking over Houston’s front office.

Flores, 51, joined the Cardinals as director of scouting in 2015 and became assistant general manager in 2018. Now he is headed to Houston with a lot of big decisions ahead of him.

Flores will have to help find Houston’s next manager after the organization decided not to renew Joe Espada’s contract.

Espada finished his tenure with a 256-229 record and two AL West titles, but the Astros went 0-4 in the postseason under his leadership. Houston finished with the worst record ever for a division winner, and they got swept by the White Sox for a very short playoff run. It was an ugly way to end an ugly season. While the Astros thanked Espada for his work, they decided to move on.

The incoming manager has his work cut out for him, with questions to answer and problems to solve.

So who could replace Joe Espada?

Now, you never know, and it is all speculation; the GM hiring situation proves that. Matt Kleine was reported as Houston’s top target, but the Astros went with Flores instead.

That said, MLB.com published a list on October 14 that included Brad Ausmus, Jeff Banister, Morgan Ensberg, John Gibbons, Brandon Hyde, Danny Lehmann, Rodney Linares, Martín Maldonado, Albert Pujols, and David Ross.

Three names to watch:

Ausmus: A former Astros catcher and the Yankees’ bench coach, with MLB managerial experience. He was also a finalist for Houston’s job in 2020, when it went to Dusty Baker.

Linares: 21 seasons in the Astros organization, 12 of them as a minor-league manager, and four seasons as the Rays’ bench coach.

Pujols: A former star, with no MLB managerial experience.

I’d pick Rodney Linares. He spent 21 seasons in Houston’s system, so he knows the organization. The one concern is that he has never managed in the majors, so there may be some growing pains if they decide to go with Linares.

That said, the Astros are gearing up for a lot of change heading into 2027.

Houston was ready for a change, and Flores is the first step in a new direction. Now, he needs to pick a new manager, and it is another major decision that could shape the team’s future.