{
  "id": 14486908,
  "title": "Houston Astros won't bring back Joe Espada after three seasons as manager, 2 wild-card losses",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/houston-astros-wont-bring-back-joe-espada-after-three-seasons-as",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-14T16:22:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/houston-astros-wont-bring-back-162253602.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Houston Astros have decided not to retain manager Joe Espada after three seasons, announcing the news two weeks after they were eliminated in the wild-card round by the Chicago White Sox. This follows the separation of general manager Dana Brown in August. Team owner Jim Crane expressed gratitude for Espada's efforts during his tenure, stating that he represented the team and Houston community positively. Espada, who was promoted from bench coach in 2024, led the Astros to two playoff appearances, including a season in which they reached the postseason for the eighth time in ten years. However, the team failed to win a playoff game in either of those years, finishing with 81-81 records in 2024 and 2025. Despite finishing with their lowest win total since 2014, Espada was credited with helping the team recover from a poor start. The Astros' roster deficiencies, including a high ERA and low OPS, are believed to have contributed to the team's struggles.",
  "summary": "Two weeks after the Astros were swept out of the playoffs, they have parted ways with manager Joe Espada.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "10 names that would make sense in Houston Astros' manager search",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/10-names-that-would-make-sense-in-houston-astros-manager-search",
        "published": "2026-10-14T16:29:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}