The Houston Astros are off to a bit of a slow start in 2025. They are 18-18 through their first 36 games and are in third place in the American League West, four games out of first.
The team won 88 games last year to capture the AL West, but they fell short in the Wild Card round against the Detroit Tigers.
They had also overcome a dreadful start to the season, but with the team stuck at .500, questions have been raised.
When listing managers that could be on the hot seat after 2025, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report included Astros skipper Joe Espada.
“Would the Astros really fire Espada in just the second year of his tenure? It is hard to see it, but the club has already settled into a pattern of underachievement under his watch,” Rymer wrote.
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“That’s never a good thing, and least of all when a team is trying to make the most of a rapidly closing contention window.”
The Astros may be on their way down after nine postseason trips in the last 10 years, a run that has included four American League pennants and two World Series championships.
Espada can only do so much with what he has, but the team hasn’t been as successful since Dusty Baker left. The team still obviously has a shot at reaching the postseason, but they’ll need to turn things around in order to catch the Seattle Mariners.
The Astros lost Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly last offseason, and while adding Christian Walker helps, their roster is not as strong as it was last year.
We’ll see if they can get going. If not, Espada’s leash may be a little shorter.
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