Brad Ausmus and Joe Espada will be strong candidates for the Astros' managerial opening.
Ausmus finished runner-up to Dusty Baker as manager, and also a runner-up to Dana Brown as GM.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 26, 2023

Or Philly since he didn't get the job there.

I imagine payback was pretty sweet for Dusty last year which I hadn't thought about.

Why do we hate Ausmus as manager so much? I remember him not being a popular name back in 2020 but not sure why that was

With "national" media like Nightengale, it's hard to know if he's tweeting that because he's heard legit info from inside sources or if he's just tweeting a few names that seem (to him) like they generally make sense based on other speculation that he's read.

That's because Maldonado spoke spanish. Yainer speaks spanish as well.

Do you guys think we can get ausmus before the Mets or San Diego?

SpaceCityAg05 said:

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In his previous failed attempts as a manger, Ausmus was arrogant, condescending, and terrible at leadership and morale.

Dusty may not be a good decision maker, but at least he was a good leader of men. Ausmus is neither.

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That 2014 Tigers team was loaded and he eeked out 90 wins and got swept in the first round

He was a JAG manager every year after that.

Chandler Rome said:

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Brad Ausmus | Former Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels manager

Ausmus, a former Astros fan favorite who remains close with Bagwell, nearly became Houston's general manager last winter before Crane hired Brown. Earlier this month, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Ausmus is "interested in pursuing managerial openings" this winter after serving as Team Israel's bench coach in the World Baseball Classic. … Ausmus' friendship with Bagwell, and how close he came to the general manager's job last winter, can't be overstated in discussing his candidacy.

Craig Counsell | Milwaukee Brewers manager
Joe Espada | Houston Astros bench coach
Mark Kotsay | Oakland A's manager

Kotsay's inclusion here as a sitting manager under contract will invite similar questions as to whether a reunion with A.J. Hinch is feasible. Hinch, who is reportedly under contract through 2025, is building more momentum with a Detroit Tigers franchise with far more stability than Oakland's. It's difficult to envision Hinch abandoning that after just three seasons.

Rodney Linares | Tampa Bay Rays bench coach
Omar Lpez | Houston Astros first base coach
Joe Maddon | Former Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels manager
Don Mattingly | Toronto Blue Jays bench coach
Buck Showalter | Former Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and New York Mets manager
Will Venable | Texas Rangers associate manager
Walt Weiss; Eric Young | Atlanta Braves bench coach; Atlanta Braves first-base coach

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I can see Crane going with Showalter or Maddon. Someone who's been around the game a long time similar to Dusty

texasaggie2015 said:

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That's because Maldonado spoke spanish. Yainer speaks spanish as well.

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Just curious, how is Diaz's english?

Deluxe said:

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We could do alot better than Ausmus. The Astros manager job is the best manager job in the game and much better candidates should be lining up for it.

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This x1000

This would be the equivalent of Saban retiring and Bama hiring Kevin Sumlin.

I was messing around on Savant this morning with wOBA vs xwOBA and came up with some names that either hit the ball well and didn't get the results expected or the reverse.

Player of Interest
Joc Pederson - He already was someone to consider for his LF platoon abilities, but it could be even better to "buy low". His wOBA was about league average. His xwOBA was 26th in baseball, basically the same of Tatis Jr.

Tommy Pham - It was fishy that he kind of peaked so late, but he's another guy who had "bad luck" so the peak could have been that much better. I know his reputation is as a psycho, but a lot of hhis teammates really seem to enjoy playing with him. At his age, it might be a nice cheap buy in LF. He was 40th in baseball sandwiched between Wander & Jose Ramirez.

David Peralta - He didn't have a large gap like Pederson or Pham, but if he played to his expected #s, he'd go from slightly below average to slightly above. Plus he's another older cheap lefty who can be a nice budget platoon.

Jorge Soler - He had a strong year and it could have been even better. I fully expect him to opt out of his $9 M player option for 2024. He's been in the league for 10 years and only made 68 M. At 30 he was only offered 3/36,(with opt-outs). Will anyone go higher at 32?

Players to Avoid
Adam Duvall - I know he killed Houston, but he also had a below-league average xwOBA. If we sign old guys, we need to make sure it's on the super cheap with some reason to believe they'll succeed in 24.

Cody Bellinger - He went nuts in a contract year. I don't trust it, especially after the down 20-22 seasons.

Brandon Belt - He seems like a good platoon option to help DH and play some 1B, but he was also near the top of "lucky" players in 2023.

Jason Heyward - My pick already is losing some shine. I dug even deeper to look at the RHP-only match-ups and it's actually slightly worse. He was just slightly above league average based on expected wOBA.

Kevin Kiermaier - It looks like "luck" kept him league average. His xwOBA was more in line with Dubon & Pena.

https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/news/will-venable-turns-down-new-york-mets-manager-opportunity-stay-texas-rangers

I didn't realize how highly sought-after Will Venable is. Sounds like Mets and Guardians both wanted to pursue him but he turned them down, saying that he wants to stay in Arlington. Maybe he'd feel different about the Astros opening.

Quote:

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Texas Rangers associate manager Will Venable has reportedly turned down another chance to potentially run another MLB team.

And this was a big-time job.

Venable, in his first season with the Rangers on manager Bruce Bochy's staff, declined a request from the New York Mets to interview for their opening, according to the New York Post. The Mets are in the market for a manager after parting ways with Buck Showalter, who also managed Texas from 2003-06.

The Mets sought permission to interview Will Venable for their managerial opening, but the Rangers' associate manager declined the request due to his comfort in his current situation." New York Post.

Venable confirmed that report.

"I talked to them very briefly, but that was at the point where I already had made the decision that I was staying here," he told the newspaper before the Rangers dropped Game 5 of the American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros.

Venable, 40, was recently reported to be leading candidate for the Cleveland Guardians opening, but has told teams that he wants to remain with Texas.

Venable has been in MLB coaching since 2018, spending three seasons with the Chicago Cubs. He joined the Red Sox in 2021, where he spent two seasons. He managed six games in place of Joey Cora after he tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022. Venable went 1-5 as interim manager.

Before he went into coaching, he played for three different teams San Diego Padres, Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008-16. The outfielder batted .249 with 81 home runs and 307 RBI.

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The Porkchop Express said:

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I'd rather have JetBlack manage the Astros then Ausmus.

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Let's contact Chandler and add him to the list!

Now that I think about it, Crane does have a weird trend of hiring guys who have beaten him in the past. Click as GM after the Rays beat us in 2020. Dana as GM after the Braves beat us in 2021. Maybe Venable is the guy after the Rangers beat us this year...