Six Former Houston Astros Could Realistically Have Shot at Padres Job

The San Diego Padres may be looking for a new manager after giving Bob Melvin permission to speak to the San Francisco Giants about their opening.

If Melvin takes the job, that would leave the Padres looking for a new manager.

Is it possible that someone with an Houston Astros connection could end up with it?

If so, there are a few coaches and former players with Astros connections that could be considered for the job.

Joe Espada

At some point, the Astros’ bench coach is going to get a managerial gig. He’s interviewed for at least two jobs in the past — the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs. He’s well respected in the baseball community. The only thing he doesn’t have going for him is managerial experience at the Major League or minor league level. But he’s worn a number of different hats as a hitting coach, base coach and bench coach.

A.J. Hinch

He has something that most current MLB managers don’t — a World Series ring. He won his with the Astros as their skipper in 2017. He lost his job as a result of the sign-stealing scandal and, after serving a one-year suspension, returned to managing with the Detroit Tigers in 2021. The only issue here for the Padres is that Hinch is still under contract with the Tigers and the Padres would need permission to talk with him. The Tigers haven’t had a winning season under Hinch, and he may be interested in taking over the Padres’ star-studded, but under-achieving, roster.

Brad Ausmus

Ausmus had two separate stints with the Astros as a player — 1997-98 and 2001-08. He was part of their first World Series team in 2005 He was a three-time Gold Glove-winning catcher and played 17 seasons. He’s been a manager twice — with Detroit and with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He won a division title with the Tigers in 2014. He also has a Padres connection. He worked as a field executive for the Padres for three seasons. He was last the Oakland bench coach in 2022 but he left the Athletics to seek a front office role.

Carlos Beltran

A member of the 2017 Houston Astros’ World Series team, he was the one player that suffered some consequences from the sign-stealing scandal, as he lost his job as manager of the New York Mets before he even managed a game after the news broke. He joined the Mets front office in 2023. If the Padres see what the Mets saw when they hired him in 2019, he might have a shot.

Ron Washington

Yes, it’s a stretch. But Washington played seven games with the Astros in 1989 before his MLB career ended. He led the Texas Rangers to two American League pennants and is the organization’s winningest manager. He is as well-respected an infield coach as there is in the game and, at 71, it’s time for him to get back in the game as a manager if that’s what he wants. But he may also be perfectly content as Atlanta’s third base coach.

Dusty Baker

Don’t laugh. Baker is on a one-year contract and hasn’t committed to returning to the Astros. He may not care what fans think about his daily lineup cards, but they voice their displeasure on social media. Baker’s job was to restore credibility to the Astros on the field and he’s done that, along with leading them to the 2022 World Series title. He’s done everything there is to do in this game and he could just hang it up and be done at age 74. But, if he wants to manage one more team, the Padres would be a perfect landing spot for the Riverside, Calif., native.