In the cult classic comedy Office Space, there is a scene where the productivity experts (known as the Bobs) discuss with the office manager how they are handling a specific “problem” relative to a very odd employee named Milton, played by the great Stephen Root.
The Bobs explained that Milton was effectively laid off years ago but kept getting paid because of a payroll glitch. They say they’ve “fixed the glitch,” so he won’t receive any more paychecks, and they expect “it will just work itself out naturally.” They add that they like to avoid confrontation whenever possible.
That scenario kept coming back to my mind lately as we watched the grains of sand run out of the glass containing the Astros managing career of one Joe Espada. It felt like the team was just going to let Joe Espada sit there and then fade away “naturally” when the paychecks stopped coming at the end of October.
The situation was finally addressed today with the following release…..
Joe Espada Will Not Return As Astros Manager – MLB Trade Rumors
One has to wonder about a few things….
- Did the team actually tell Joe he was out back when Dana Brown was fired, as had been rumored, or was the decision made after the team was swept by the White Sox in the Wild Card round?
- Who made the decision? We would assume it was Jim Crane, but how much Bagwell influence was there in it?
- Did anyone actually talk to Joe man-to-man about this? How did that go?
- Do they fill the GM spot first and allow that person to be part of the management search? Do they fill the manager spot first? Do they leave both spots empty (and unpaid for) until after any work stoppage occurs and eventually ends?
- And who has the biggest say on who they bring in for interviews and who the team eventually hires for both manager and GM?
I feel a bit sorry for Joe Espada. Not as badly as I felt for Brad Mills and Bo Porter who were asked to row a boat with two oars sawed off at the handles, but still…. Joe was asked to manage to expectations spawned from the 2017 to 2023 peak of the Astros’ Renaissance, but without the toolkit that A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker wielded.
The 2024 team was good, not great and the 2025 and 2026 teams were mediocre. Especially, the last two seasons he and the team had to overcome a ton of injuries and underperformance by their pitching staff to even get as high as they did.
If Jim Crane thought that the team that was handed over to Espada the last two seasons was capable of a long playoff run, he was delusional. The only reason the 2026 team made the playoffs was a) The terrible play of the rest of the AL West and b) Joe Espada’s ability to keep the team together through a series of maladies affecting the starting pitching.
In the end, Joe Espada overcame a lot in his time here, including making the playoffs while using 19 pitchers to start games in 2026. He must have shown something to the outer world to get an interview with the Mariners while still under contract to the Astros.
Going forward, will Jim Crane continue his Jerry Jones-esque meddling in the day-to-day workings of the team? He might want to take a close look at how much playoff success the Cowboys have had since Jerry nudged Jimmy Johnson out the door.
