Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker announced his retirement on Thursday, capping a 26-year likely Hall of Fame career that included three pennants and the 2022 World Series title. Baker's departure comes just days after the Astros were denied a third consecutive trip to the World Series with a Game 7 loss against the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series.
"It has been a tremendous honor to be the leader of this ballclub. Thank you to the fans for their unwavering passion. The amount of love I've received in my time in Houston has been unmatched," Baker said in a team-issued release.
With Baker stepping away from the managerial post, the Astros will now join a handful of other teams seeking new skippers. (You can keep tabs on all of the vacancies across the league using CBS Sports' tracker.) Just who might the Astros reach out to as part of the process?
Below, CBS Sports has highlighted six potential candidates. As is often the case, this is more of an art than a science. The Astros themselves may not even have a firm list in place at this point. With that in mind, treat this for what it is.
Now, onto it.
1. Joe Espada, Astros bench coach
Espada is the most obvious candidate for the job. He's served as Houston's bench coach since the 2018 season, allowing him to gain familiarity with the Astros' players and front-office personnel. He's long been identified as a future manager. He's interviewed for a handful of vacancies in recent years, including with the Marlins and White Sox last winter. It seems like only a matter of time before Espada gets the opportunity to run his own team.
2. Brad Ausmus, former manager
Ausmus feels like a fairly safe bet to receive an interview given his connections to the Astros franchise. He played with Houston in 10 of his 18 big-league seasons. He's since gained managerial experience with the Tigers and the Angels, and he also served as the Athletics bench coach for the 2022 season. Ausmus was even linked to the Astros' general manager gig last winter, and he reportedly finished second in that process behind Dana Brown.
3. Troy Snitker, Astros hitting coach
If the Astros are open to an unconventional choice, then they could elevate Snitker to helm the club. Although he's only 34, he's considered to be a rising star in the coaching world. (His father Brian is the Braves manager.) To wit, Snitker is reportedly a legitimate candidate for the Guardians' vacancy, where he would replace a different retiring manager in Terry Francona.
4. Donnie Ecker, Rangers bench coach
Speaking of rising stars, Ecker figures to benefit from the Rangers' pennant victory as much as anyone. He's only 37, yet his name has started to pop up in connection with managerial vacancies. The Giants, for example, were believed to be interested in Ecker. San Francisco has since hired Bob Melvin for the role.
5. Jeff Banister, Diamondbacks bench coach
Banister, who attended the University of Houston, could also benefit from his team's surprising run to the World Series. He spent parts of four seasons managing the Rangers, leading them to a winning record overall. It's just trivia at this point, but Banister did interview for the Astros managerial vacancy back in the fall of 2014. The Astros instead hired A.J. Hinch. That worked out OK.
6. Don Kelly, Pirates bench coach
We'll end with Kelly, who also has some connections to the Astros. He spent the 2019 season serving as Houston's first-base coach. He was subsequently hired away by the Pirates to operate as Derek Shelton's bench coach. Kelly has been in the running for several managerial posts in recent years, including those belonging to the Mets and Red Sox.
