Should Houston Astros Already Consider Replacing Manager?

The Houston Astros might need to move on from manager Joe Espada before it's too late.

Apr 21, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Houston Astros manager Joe Espada (L) talks to his catcher. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have a lot of problems, few of which can be fixed overnight. Their rotation's been decimated by injuries, their bullpen keeps blowing games and their hitters can't get big hits when they need to.

None of those are quick fixes.

One glaring issue can be solved pretty quickly, however, and that's the underwhelming managing of Joe Espada.

He is less than a month into his MLB career as a manager, but it's already obvious that he's the wrong man for the job. Replacing Dusty Baker was never going to be easy, but Espada seems overwhelmed by the role and has been flat-out incompetent (case in point: the Jose Abreu situation).

To make matters worse, he already appears to have lost the clubhouse based on this devastating anecdote from beat writer Brian McTaggart before Tuesday's game.

Astros manager Joe Espada said he met with several players in the last couple days to talk about adjustments they need to make and how they should approach the game.

“These guys are fighters,” he said. “These guys are not going to quit.”

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 23, 2024

According to McTaggart, the skipper has met with several players recently, urging them to make adjustments and change their approach. He also gave his team a public vote of confidence, calling his players "fighters" who don't quit.

Whatever Espada is doing, it isn't working.

The Astros lost again on Tuesday night, falling 7-2 to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Houston showed little fight after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning, essentially giving up on the rest of the game.

They have now lost three in a row and six of their last seven, falling to 7-17 on the season. They're off to their worst start in years and are 10 games below .500 for the first time since 2016.

Houston has shown no signs of turning things around and is running out of time to save their season.

Espada clearly isn't getting through to his players and can't seem to inspire them, so it's time to find someone who can.