**Houston Parts Ways With Joe Espada as Front-Office Reset Continues**

The Astros have dismissed Joe Espada following the conclusion of the 2026 season, completing a leadership overhaul that began when the organization fired general manager Dana Brown on August 24. Espada had guided the club through a turbulent year that ended well short of October baseball.

Houston finished 72-77, a significant step back from the 88-win and 87-win campaigns of the two prior seasons. The team went 8-18 in April and never fully recovered, cycling through stretches of .500 ball without establishing the sustained run that would have made the wild-card race viable. The final month brought a 3-7 slide over the last ten games, with the offense averaging 3.5 runs per game across that stretch.

Espada inherited a roster already under strain. Carlos Correa and Mike Burrows both finished the year on the 60-day IL, and the rotation leaned heavily on Peter Lambert and Hunter Brown while other arms saw their workloads reduced sharply late in the season. Yordan Alvarez, the team's lone All-Star, remained the primary offensive engine throughout, but the surrounding lineup could not provide consistent support.

The organization now enters the offseason without a permanent general manager or a field manager, with aging infield questions at first and second base still unresolved. Whoever takes over the front office will set the direction for what comes next.