The Seattle Mariners intend to interview Astros manager Joe Espada for their managerial vacancy, according to a report from MLB.com.

Espada is no longer under contract with the Astros as his deal expires at the end of November. Yet, to this point, the Astros have not made a decision on if he will return or not in 2027, though they are allowing him to take the interview. If he becomes a free agent, the decision could be made for the Astros.

At this point, Espada is the only known candidate that has been connected to the Mariners managerial position, which could show how desirable he could be to that organization.

Why Let Espada Walk?

Is it weird that the Astros let Espada interview with an AL West rival? Yes. But, the Astros were already on the fence on whether or not they were going to bring Espada back, so why not let him interview. If he gets the job, then the Astros never had to fire anyone, he left on his own. It saves a tough conversation.

The fact that it's an AL West rival is the part that is questionable. He would be managing against the Astros, and a roster and pitching staff that he knows, at least 13 times a season.

That would give the Mariners a significant edge over the Astos in the head-to-head games. That really makes me think about the motive for the Astros to let Espada interview in Seattle.

Under Espada, the Astros reached the postseason two out of the last three seasons, but did not win a postseason game under Espada.

In 2026, the Astros became the worst team in MLB History to reach the postseason, doing so with a 81-81 record. Injuries were involved, but he also had Yordan Alvarez, and he will likely win the AL MVP.

The Mariners had a regression season. In 2025, they were six outs away from appearing in the franchise's first-ever World Series.

In 2026, underperformance and injuries completely sank the team, and they could never get it together. The hope for the Mariners would be that bringing in an experienced manager, like Espada, especially one with in-division experience, would help get the team on track for 2027.

The story from MLB.com noted that Mariners President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told the media during his postseason presser that a manager with experience is “not a prerequisite" but added that “it would be preferred.”