Astros hire Brad Ausmus, 57, as manager: a 386-422 record and a roster that needs a plan

The Houston Astros named Brad Ausmus their next manager on Wednesday, the club announced, according to CBS Sports. ESPN and MLB.com carry the same news under the headlines "Astros hire Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus as new manager" and "Astros hire Brad Ausmus as next manager." CBS does not give the length or value of the contract, and neither do we.

Who Ausmus is

Ausmus is 57 and was the New York Yankees' bench coach from late 2023, per CBS. He played parts of 18 major league seasons, 10 of them with Houston, winning three Gold Gloves and making the 1999 All-Star team with Detroit.

As a manager he has done it twice. He ran the Tigers from 2014 to 2017, going 314-332 with a division title in his first season, then managed the Angels in 2019 and went 72-90. Added together that is 386-422 over five seasons, a .478 winning percentage, which matches the figure CBS reports. He has not managed in the majors in seven years.

What he inherits

He replaces Joe Espada, whose contract was not renewed after three seasons in which Houston reached the playoffs twice. The hire is the first major move for general manager Randy Flores, who took the job earlier this offseason. Flores said Ausmus "impressed us throughout the interview process." Ausmus said he is "very excited to be back in Houston," calling the team and city "a huge part of my life."

The record he steps into is odd. CBS reports the Astros won a division title and made the postseason in 2026 while finishing 81-81 with a negative run differential, a sign the results flattered the team. CBS also describes an aging roster, a thin farm system and several core players heading to free agency after 2027. It adds that owner Jim Crane has not been reported to have decided between another push to contend and a rebuild.

What to watch

The hire is a vote for familiarity over novelty. Last week Seattle went the other way and handed the job to a first-time manager, as we reported in our Mariners story. Houston picked someone who knows the clubhouse and the city, whose managerial record is modest but who, in Flores's words, impressed in the interview.

The open questions are the ones the manager does not control: which veterans stay, whether payroll moves, and who joins the coaching staff. We have not seen a staff announcement. CBS says the Angels are the only other club with a managerial vacancy.

Follow Houston on our MLB schedule and scores pages.

Sources: CBS Sports, ESPN (headline), MLB.com (headline), club announcement as quoted by CBS.