Astros want to name new manager by next week
Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said that he hopes the Astros will have a new manager chosen by the end of next week. The timing of the actual installation is a bit more complicated.
Whether or not interim manager Tony DeFrancesco gets the job, he will finish out the year, and any new manager would take over after the season. However, it could be longer if a candidate like Nationals third base coach Bo Porter or Tampa Bay bench coach Davey Martinez is hired and his team makes the playoffs.
"We wouldn't want to pull anybody working for another team integral in making a playoff run," Crane said. "They wouldn't come on board until everything's over."
The three aforementioned candidates are among six that Crane said the Astros have interviewed so far with two more candidates to go. Though he didn't divulge names, former Astro and current Boston bench coach Tim Bogar is expected to interview Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Crane made the point again that the club is still considering DeFrancesco for the full-time position. DeFrancesco is 9-18 overall but 8-8 in September after a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night.
"He's doing a great job, he's been a big help and he interviewed very well," Crane said. "We're very impressed with him."
No longer in the mix is former Phillies manager Larry Bowa, who told Fox Sports that he and general manager Jeff Luhnow decided that the Astros were going to go with a younger manager.
