Houston Astros General Manager Reveals Major Offseason Regret
In addition to bolstering their roster after a disappointing ALCS exit, the Houston Astros' biggest priority this offseason was replacing Dusty Baker. The legendary skipper retired this winter after 26 seasons of managing at the MLB level, the last four of which came with the Astros.
Houston didn't take long to find a replacement, promoting bench coach Joe Espada roughly two weeks after Baker stepped down. The Astros came to their decision after interviewing several external candidates, including former Atlanta Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr.
Houston ultimately passed on Young in favor of Espada, who had been the team's bench coach since 2018. However, Astros GM Dana Brown still thinks highly of Young based on his recent comments and seems to regret not hiring him.
Brown believes Young has a bright future and manager potential someday if he continues to gain experience.
Young, 56, ended up joining the Los Angeles Angels to work with Ron Washington. Young should continue to gain valuable experience there under Washington, who is 71 and has spent nearly half a century in baseball.
Like Baker, Washington will probably retire soon, opening the door for Young to replace him in Los Angeles if he sticks around. In the meantime, Washington will likely groom him to be his successor.
With Young now in the AL West, Houston is guaranteed to cross paths with him for the foreseeable future. There's a chance he could be managing against the Astros soon if he plays his cards right, so hopefully they don't end up regretting their decision.
