Earlier this week, we learned that the Seattle Mariners are going to interview now-former Houston Astros skipper Joe Espada for their vacant managerial job.

The 51-year-old native of Puerto Rico spent three years with the Astros as their skipper, but he also served on staff under former managers AJ Hinch and Dusty Baker. In his three years as manager, he went 256-229, winning two division titles. His team went just 81-81 this season, but he navigated several injuries to win the division.

The Mariners obviously won the American League West in 2025, the lone year that Espada didn't helm a title team.

There's a lot to unpack here and we're going to do some of that at MarinersRoundtable and on the "Refuse to Lose Territory" podcast, but initially, I think there's one big question that has to be answered.

If the Astros had Espada in their building for nearly a decade, and just had him as manager for a three-year stretch in which they won two division titles, why do they not want him back?

That's what I really want to know. The Astros had a chance to keep Espada, but they are choosing not to. What's that reason? And should that give the Mariners pause about hiring him?

Initially, I thought yes, but I admittedly am stepping back from the situation and trying to look at it more openly.

Based on what we're hearing out of Houston, and based on what Buster Olney of ESPN has told us on the podcast, it seems like the Astros are in a state of turmoil right now and that they aren't being run as well as they were from 2015-2023 or so. There seem to be questions about ownership with Jim Crane and about the power structure of the front office. 

Perhaps the decision to let Espada go is a poor one, and perhaps it's a sign of general dysfunction around the organization. Maybe we shouldn't be looking at this situation as a negative on Espada, maybe we should be looking at is a negative on the Astros.

That is certainly a possibility.

The Mariners have said they want to essentially audit their own operation moving forward. Getting intel on how the organization is viewed to those on the outside can be a valuable thing, especially when the person providing that intel has just spent time leading your division rivals. He clearly knows the Mariners well and is uniquely qualified to speak on their strengths and weaknesses.