Joe Espada Reportedly Emerges as Favorite for Giants Manager Job

Stealing from the Astros to bolster your own coaching staff has been a pretty wise move in recent years.

We see no reason the San Francisco Giants shouldn't be borrowing from Boston's playbook.

Two offseasons after the departure of Alex Cora, H-Town might be losing their second consecutive bench coach to a managerial role, as baseball lifer Joe Espada has reportedly emerged as the favorite to nab the open Giants job.

Before taking over in Houston, Espada had most recently served as the Yankees' third base coach from 2015-2017, as well as a special advisor to GM Brian Cashman the year prior. The 44-year-old was a longtime member of the Marlins organization before his American League tenure began, and was also involved with Team Puerto Rico's trip through the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow knew what he was getting into when he brought Espada aboard, of course; he didn't expect him to stick around long, as part of Houston's plan involved keeping a managerial-level talent in place as long as possible.

“That model continues to be the right model for us, to have a managerial prospect in that seat, and that’s essentially what he’s been for us,” Luhnow told the New York Times. “He’s been terrific.”

It certainly seems like it could be time for Houston to find their upgraded model.