HOUSTON — Instead of getting ready for a playoff game Tuesday, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and general manager Dana Brown were fielding questions about their job security and what went wrong this season.
“I am the GM of the Astros,” Brown said in response to a question about his contract status. “And that’s what I would expect to be tomorrow and the next day and the next day.”
Brown was then asked about the future of Espada, who just completed his second season as manager.
“Look, I’ve made it very clear that Joe is the manager,” Brown said. “Joe is under contract.”
Out of the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Astros already are looking for ways to ensure that their postseason absence is a one-year aberration. Missing out this season ends a remarkable run in which they made seven straight trips to the AL Championship Series from 2017-23, before losing in the AL Wild Card Series last year. During that stretch, they won four pennants and the World Series in 2017 and 2022.
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This season was marred by injuries, most notably to star slugger Yordan Alvarez, who was limited to 48 games because of a broken hand and an ankle injury. Houston’s other significant injury in the lineup was to third baseman Isaac Paredes, who missed about two months with a hamstring problem.
Those injuries were a significant blow to a team that lost two of its top players this offseason when third baseman Alex Bregman signed in free agency with the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs.
“Make no mistake, when you take pillars out of your lineup, it’s gonna affect your team, it’s going to affect some of their at-bats,” Brown said. “When Yordan Alvarez is in the lineup, you have to pitch guys around him differently. So, I think the absence of Yordan really affected us big-time.”
Along with missing Alvarez and Paredes, the Astros dealt with injuries to their pitching staff, with Ronel Blanco having Tommy John surgery in May and Spencer Arrighetti missing four months after breaking his thumb in a freak accident. The bullpen was dealt a major blow when six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader sustained a shoulder injury that kept him out the last two months of the season.
Despite this, the Astros were still in position to win the AL West for a fifth straight season and were tied with Seattle for the lead late in the year. A sweep by the Mariners at home from Sept. 19-21 all but ended that chance, but they remained in contention for a wild-card spot. Then they lost three of their next four games to the Athletics and Angels and were eliminated on the second-to-last day of the season.
“This is going to put a chip on our shoulders,” Espada said. “We are a postseason team. We are built to play in October and it was disappointing that we’re not playing today. I’m not happy about it, but also we are learning from things that we could have done better, how can we improve our club and our players are hungry to get back to spring training and playing.”
Espada said he’s in the process of evaluating everything right now, including his staff moving forward. He said that evaluation extends to himself as he looks for ways to do more next season.
“I would not be helping this organization if I’m not holding myself accountable,” he said. “Because at the end of the day I’m the manager of this team and I’m responsible for what goes on in that clubhouse. So, I care about that deeply. I care about the organization and I care about putting the best product on the field, because our fans expect us to win, and I take that very seriously.”
The Astros will look to upgrade their rotation this offseason after focusing on bolstering their offense at the trade deadline by bringing Carlos Correa back and adding Jesus Sanchez and Ramon Urias. Brown said they’ll have talks with right-hander Framber Valdez, who is a free agent after spending his entire eight-year career with the Astros. But regardless of what happens with him, Brown said they plan to be in the market to add guys to their rotation.
Though Brown said he would look at all avenues to try to improve the team, he feels pretty good about the guys who already are here.
“Right now, our roster is put together very well,” he said. “I think we have a really good team. If we stay healthy, we will for sure be back in the dance in October.”
