Astros quietly gave Angels another intriguing option in their managerial search

The AL West is in a major state of flux. The division didn't produce a single team over .500 this year, and the lone team that made the playoffs, the Houston Astros, fired their manager shortly after getting eliminated. The Seattle Mariners, who made the ALCS a year ago, pulled the trigger on their skipper even earlier in the season. Both the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels are searching for new, full-time general managers, so they may soon join the search for new head coaches as well.

The Angels, of course, also have to deal with a change in ownership on top of their front office restructuring. Perhaps firing Kurt Suzuki and seeking out a new manager would be too much change for the organization in one offseason, though now is the time for housecleaning. And it's not like Suzuki, who guided the Halos to 100 losses in his first season as manager, demanded another chance with his performance.

So, if they do opt to search for his replacement, could they turn to a former rival to run the show moving forward?

Joe Espada is the experienced managerial candidate Angels want, but their rebuild might keep him out of Anaheim

Joe Espada has had the unenviable job of taking the mantle from future Hall of Famer and World Series champion Dusty Baker, replacing the old Astros skipper after the 2023 season. Since then, he's recorded a 256-229 managerial record and won a pair of division titles, though Houston went 0-4 in the playoffs under his watch.

He recently interviewed for the Mariners' vacant manager job, suggesting he's not opposed to joining an AL West rival after spending most of the past decade with the Astros (he was their bench coach from 2018-23). Having experienced nearly manner of success in that time, he'd certainly bring an experienced and authoritative voice to the Angels' clubhouse.

It also helps that Espada is deeply familiar with the division, going 80-76 against AL West opponents since taking over as the Astros' manager, including a 24-15 mark against the Halos. The Angels, who are 69-87 against division rivals in that same span, would certainly benefit from the confidence he would instill in those matchups.

The real rub here might be Espada's desire to coach a contender; the Angels are really only in the nascent stage of yet another rebuild, one which will only be made more difficult by the myriad new voices coming from ownership, the front office, and the coaching staff. He might not have a great October track record, but it would be a difficult transition to go from competing for division titles every year to a 12-year postseason drought.

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