mlb
Albert Pujols to interview for Astros managerial job
The future Hall of Famer will interview with Houston this week, reuniting with former teammate and new GM Randy Flores. Pujols has managed in the Dominican Republic and the World Baseball Classic.
Albert Pujols will interview for the Houston Astros’ managerial vacancy this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday, ESPN reported.
The 46-year-old has made no secret of his desire to manage in the major leagues since retiring as a player in 2022. He was a finalist for managerial openings with the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres last offseason, but both teams hired rookie managers in Kurt Suzuki and Craig Stammen. Yahoo Sports reported that the Angels and Pujols could not agree on contract terms.
Pujols has managing experience outside the majors. He won a championship with the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican winter league in his first season in 2024-25 and managed the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where his country lost to the U.S. in the semifinals.
The Astros named former St. Louis Cardinals executive Randy Flores their new general manager five days before the Pujols news broke. Flores and Pujols were teammates in St. Louis for four seasons, including the 2006 World Series championship team. Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus and Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta are also under consideration, per The Athletic.
The Astros parted ways with Joe Espada in October after three seasons. Espada went 256-229 but lost in the wild-card round in 2026. Houston has made the postseason in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
Pujols is still tied to the Angels through a 10-year, $10 million personal-services contract that is approaching its fifth year. A buyout can be negotiated if the Astros hire him. He is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028 and is widely expected to get in on the first ballot.
What the coverage missed
Both ESPN and Yahoo note Pujols’ managing experience and his connection to Flores, but neither asks the question that matters: why did the Angels and Padres pass on him last year? The Angels could not agree on contract terms, which is a business problem. The Padres chose Craig Stammen, a former reliever with no managing experience. Two teams had the chance to hire Pujols and did not.
The Astros’ interest is real, and Flores’ presence gives Pujols a friendly audience. But Houston is not a rebuilding team handing the keys to a legend. The Astros have made the postseason 10 of the past 12 years and fired a manager who went 256-229 because a wild-card exit was not good enough. Whoever takes this job is expected to win immediately.
Pujols won in the Dominican Republic and managed in the WBC. Those are different animals from a 162-game major league season with a playoff-or-bust mandate. The Astros are not hiring a name. They are hiring a manager, and the margin for error is thin.
What I think
Pujols will manage in the majors eventually. His resume, his connections and his obvious ambition make that a question of when, not if. The Astros are as good a landing spot as he will find, with a general manager who was his teammate and a roster that still has enough talent to contend.
But the Astros’ last manager won 256 games in three seasons and was fired. The standard in Houston is not “good.” It is “championship.” Pujols has never managed a major league game. If the Astros hire him, they are betting that one of the greatest hitters in baseball history can translate his instincts for the game into the dugout, and that he can do it fast enough to satisfy a fan base that has been to two World Series in the past decade.
That is a big bet. It might be the right one. But it is not a safe one.