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The Houston Astros are looking for a new manager after Dusty Baker officially retired. Per reports, GM Dana Brown, who was hired last offseason, has found a candidate he's leaning towards hiring in Joe Espada, who is a coach with a good bit of experience with the club in the past.
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Michael Schwab, an Astros beat reporter, has reported that Espada seems to be in line for a new position. However, one caveat is that owner Jim Crane has the final say in any hiring moving forward:
"Dana Brown is pushing for Joe Espada to be the Astros new manager, per Bob Nightengale. This final decision is up to Jim Crane."
If Crane doesn't want to hire Espada, then it very likely won't happen. Regardless of what Brown wants to do, the final choice comes down to the owner. That doesn't excite Astros fans, who'd like to see Crane stay out and Brown given the freedom to run the team he was hired to run.
It's safe to say that Astros fans have the utmost faith in their GM after coming over from the Atlanta Braves. He's done a nice job amid a bit of turmoil. There's been quite a bit of front office turnover since the 2017 cheating scandal broke.
Astros fans trust Dana Brown to find new manager
Even after the World Series victory in 2022, James Click's contract was not renewed, which brought Brown to the job. He didn't win the World Series this season, but he did build a pretty good team who got to Game 7 of the ALCS. Fans believe in him as a result.
And as a result of that belief, they would like to see what he wants to do come to fruition. Owner interference is generally never desirable for any team's fan base, but especially so here with the Houston fans.
Owners are generally not players who know the ins and outs of the sport. A lot of them are just rich people who like the sport and want to have a team of their own. That makes them a little less qualified to determine the new manager than the GM who has run teams is. That's how Astros fans feel, at least.
