Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has decided to retire from baseball.
Baker, now 74 years old, is a baseball legend, both as a player and a manger. In 26 years as a manager, Baker has 2,183 wins — seventh all-time — and has guided the Astros to the ALCS all four years he’s been at the helm. Considering the mess he inherited after the sign-stealing debacle, that’s nothing short of amazing. And Baker finally got his long-awaited World Series title as a manager when the Astros won the 2022 World Series.
Here are five people sure to be in the conversation as his replacement.
MORE: Dusty Baker plans to step down as Astros manager
Joe Espada, Astros bench coach
Why he fits: Espada, 48, is the most logical choice for a seamless transition. He’s been the Astros’ bench coach since 2017, serving as Baker’s right-hand man in the dugout during Baker’s successful run as Houston’s manager. But make no mistake, hiring Espada wouldn’t just be a right-time, right-place type of situation. He’s earned respect in the game, and those in the sport have long seen him as a potential manager. He’s done the managerial interview circuit the past several seasons, and if he doesn’t get the Houston job, there’s a good chance he’ll get one of the other current managerial openings.
Will Venable, Rangers associate manager
Why he fits: Venable is just 40 years old, with a Princeton education and a nine-season career as a player. Venable was reportedly in the mix for the Royals’ job last offseason, and he’s interviewed for several other positions. He’s been connected to every opening this time around, too, though he has reportedly turned down interviews with the Guardians and Mets because he’s happy with his role in Texas, working as Bruce Bochy’s right-hand person. Bochy is a pretty good manager to learn from. Maybe an opening for a really good club in the same state would get him to consider taking the Astros interview after the World Series?
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Buck Showalter, former Mets manager
Why he fits: Should the Astros prefer a manager with a track record in the job — it worked well with Baker — there are few better options than Showalter. Yes, this season went wonky with the Mets, but it’s hard to place any of the blame at Showalter’s feet. If not for the change at the top of the organization, with owner Steve Cohen hiring David Stearns as his president of baseball operations, Showalter would almost certainly still be with the Mets. He’s said he wants to manage again, and Houston would be a win-now situation.
Don Mattingly, Blue Jays bench coach
Why he fits: Baker came to Houston and got his long-awaited first World Series title as a manager, so maybe Donnie Baseball can do the same thing? His track record as a manager, record-wise, is good-not-great. In his five years as the Dodgers’ manager, his teams won three NL West titles, but the team went another direction when the team failed to reach the NLCS. He took over as the Marlins manager in 2016 and his teams were generally competitive considering salary disparities, but his clubs never seemed to reach beyond their means. He was let go after seven years, and spent the 2023 season as Toronto’s bench coach.
A.J. Hinch, Tigers manager
Why he fits: Hey, the Red Sox brought back Alex Cora a year after their sign-stealing scandal, so maybe this reunion would work, too. Hinch hasn’t gotten the Tigers through their rebuild yet — it’s stalled, though not derailed — but you have to think he would be intrigued by the opportunity to return to Houston, where many of the same players are still around.
