Astros Manager Search: Albert Pujols and Morgan Ensberg Interview, With Brad Ausmus and Luis Urueta Also in the Field
New general manager Randy Flores is interviewing two men he knows well — a former Cardinals teammate bound for Cooperstown and a former Astros third baseman — as Houston's search for Joe Espada's successor runs into GM Meetings week with no hire announced.
The Astros' search for a new manager has a field, a familiar shape, and — as of Monday evening — no announced hire. Cardinals legend Albert Pujols received an interview for the job last week, as first reported by Mike Rodriguez of Rompiendo Sports, and former Astro Morgan Ensberg also interviewed, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Both men have direct connections to the man running the search. New Astros general manager Randy Flores overlapped with Pujols for five seasons in St. Louis, and Ensberg played with Flores in college at USC. Houston has also interviewed Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta and Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus, according to the reporting.
The vacancy opened on Oct. 14, when the Astros parted ways with manager Joe Espada following three seasons and two quick playoff exits. Flores, a former major league left-hander, was hired as general manager at the end of October, and the managerial hire is the first major decision of his tenure.
The two headliners arrive from opposite directions. Pujols, a three-time National League MVP who retired in 2022, has managed in the Dominican League and most recently skippered the Dominican Republic national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where his club reached the semifinals. Ensberg, Houston's everyday third baseman on the 2005 pennant winner, has managed Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate at Durham for the past three seasons, after earning his first managerial job in the Astros' own system in 2017.
What the reporting does not contain, yet, is an ending: no hire has been announced, and the assessments in the coverage read this run describe pace and preference, not a decision. The search continues into the week of the annual General Manager Meetings, with the dugout — for now — still empty.
