Houston Astros’ Joe Espada surprisingly warned entering season after missing playoffs

Houston Astros’ Joe Espada surprisingly warned entering season after missing playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Joe Espada’s first two seasons as the Houston Astros skipper have been just fine, but he has to start doing a bit better to keep his job long-term.

Stepping into a tough situation, Espada has done a decent job, but the expectations in Houston have been high as the team has been just as successful as any in baseball over the last decade. The Astros missed the playoffs in 2025 and were swept by the Detroit Tigers the season prior. Espada must change that throughout the 2026 season.

For those reasons and more, Dayn Perry of CBS Sports believes he’s on the hot seat, even if it isn’t deserved. “In no way does Espada deserve this, as he deftly guided a flawed and injured roster to contention in 2025. That said, changes may be afoot in Houston thanks to the fact that they missed the playoffs this past season and got bounced in the first round via sweep in Espada's first year on the job.

“As well, GM Dana Brown may himself be in danger, and that would mean Espada is too. Owner Jim Crane's inconsistent spending and seeming distaste for continuity are the real culprits, but owners famously never fire themselves. Espada seems like a manager who would get another opportunity pretty swiftly if Houston does indeed cut bait,” he wrote .