Astros Rumor Roundup: Seattle Voices Back Joe Espada, and the Cardinals Land Houston's Double-A Manager

Two Astros-related items came out of other teams' markets on Friday, and both involve people who have worn Houston's uniform. In Seattle, the case for former Astros manager Joe Espada kept building. In St. Louis, the Cardinals side confirmed that the man who managed the Astros' Double-A club is joining their player development staff. The other beats we follow (Brewers, Rays, Angels, White Sox, Royals and Braves) had nothing new on Houston between Friday morning and Saturday morning, with the World Series taking most of the oxygen. All times are Central.

Seattle: The case for Joe Espada

Espada's name has been tied to the Mariners' managerial opening all week, and on Friday it got a public endorsement on Seattle TV. KING 5's Ultimate Seattle Sports Show aired a segment asking whether Espada is a good fit for the Mariners, published at 5:36 p.m. Friday. KING 5 reporter and anchor Arielle Orsuto hosted the discussion with Andrew Destin of The Athletic and Terry Hollimon.

"The Mariners may hire within the division and scoop up former Astros manager Joe Espada," Orsuto wrote on X at 6:27 p.m. "The Athletic's @AndrewDestin1 thinks that's the best available and the best fit for Seattle."

To be clear, this is opinion and analysis, not a report that Seattle has made a decision. It does add to a pattern, though. Earlier this week, Seattle Sports 710 called Espada a reported candidate, and The Seattle Times' Ryan Divish linked Cubs coach and former Astros coach Jason Kanzler to the job as well. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Thursday he isn't leaving Cleveland, which takes one name off Seattle's board.

St. Louis: Cardinals confirm Ricky Rivera hire

Houston already knew it was losing one of its minor league managers. Michael Schwab of Ice Box Insiders reported Thursday at 7:37 p.m. that Ricky Rivera, the 2026 manager of Double-A Corpus Christi, was leaving for the Cardinals to become their assistant field coordinator, per sources. Schwab wrote that Rivera spent seven years with the Astros, coaching in the Florida Complex League, at Fayetteville and at Corpus Christi. The Athletic's Chandler Rome followed at 9:33 p.m., writing that Rivera managed the Hooks for the past two seasons, announced the move on Instagram, and that the Astros "will have to replace at least one minor-league manager this winter."

On Friday the news reached the St. Louis side. Redbird Farmhands, a Cardinals prospect writer for Cardinals Prospects (not a newspaper beat), posted at 2:02 p.m. that, according to Rivera's Instagram, the Cardinals hired him as an assistant field coordinator, noting he was the Astros' Double-A manager last season. Brian Walton of The Cardinal Nation shared Schwab's report Saturday morning, writing, "Astros Double-A manager joining #stlcards Player Development."

The Cardinals haven't made a formal announcement that we could find. For Houston, it means a new Hooks manager is on the to-do list, alongside the bigger searches for a GM and a major league manager.

What's next

The GM hire is still expected to come before the manager hire, and the World Series is still going. Expect more out-of-town Astros news once the Series wraps up. We'll keep tracking it here every day.

Around the MLB

Brewers take Game 1 after a replay scare. Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Friday night to take a 1-0 World Series lead, according to the Associated Press recap on ESPN. The Brewers thought they had won on a game-ending double play in the ninth, but replay showed shortstop Cooper Pratt's foot was off the bag. Trevor Megill then struck out Jonny DeLuca with two runners in scoring position to end it. Christian Yelich's RBI triple in the first put Milwaukee ahead for good, and Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over five innings after opening the game with a 103.5 mph fastball, the fastest pitch ever thrown in a World Series. "It's good to get the first win out of the way," Megill said. Game 2 is Saturday night in Milwaukee, with Drew Rasmussen starting for the Rays and Logan Henderson for the Brewers.

Yankees keep Matt Blake. The Yankees and pitching coach Matt Blake have agreed on a three-year extension, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Saturday at 9:10 a.m., after the Post's Joel Sherman reported Friday that the sides were moving toward a deal. Yankees pitchers had MLB's lowest ERA in the regular season (3.23) and in the postseason (1.88), Heyman added. That's the same pitching program the Astros just hired Spencer Medick away from.

Cardinals move on from their hitting coach. St. Louis has parted ways with hitting coach Brant Brown, The Athletic's Katie Woo reported Friday, citing team sources. The Cardinals expect to keep most of Oli Marmol's staff. Woo also noted that bench coach Daniel Descalso, a past managerial candidate, could be a name to watch for the Angels' opening, and listed the Astros and Mariners among the other teams with managerial vacancies.

Todd Benzinger dies at 63. Former first baseman Todd Benzinger died Wednesday, the Reds announced, per MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk. Benzinger caught the final out of the Reds' 1990 World Series sweep of the A's, a Carney Lansford foul pop, and his RBI single on Opening Day 1989 ended Orel Hershiser's record 59-inning scoreless streak. He played nine seasons from 1987 to 1995 with the Red Sox, Reds, Royals, Dodgers and Giants. "He was just a steady, consistent contributor," former teammate Barry Larkin told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

Sources: KING 5 Ultimate Seattle Sports Show; Arielle Orsuto, KING 5, on X; Michael Schwab, Ice Box Insiders, on X; Chandler Rome, The Athletic, on X; Redbird Farmhands on X; Brian Walton, The Cardinal Nation, on X; AP via ESPN; Jon Heyman, New York Post, on X; The Athletic (Katie Woo); MLB Trade Rumors (Mark Polishuk).