Cubs Interviewing Astros Bench Coach Joe Espada Today, Former Phillies Manager Gabe Kapler Later This Week
It looks like the Cubs are really pushing to wrap up their managerial interview process quickly, with Astros bench coach Joe Espada coming in Monday as the ALCS breaks to move from Houston to New York. That’s at least a little bit surprising, but the Cubs have already interviewed four candidates and definitely wanted to talk with Espada prior to making their decision.
Astros bench coach Joe Espada is interviewing with the Cubs today for their manager job.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 14, 2019
They’ve also added a candidate to replace Carlos Beltrán, who said Sunday night that he would not be interviewing with the Cubs or Padres. Former Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler, who’s is also reportedly high on the Giants’ list, is set to visit with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer this week. Kapler hadn’t Previously been viewed as a possibility, though he was fired by Philly somewhat recently. Besides, you can’t turn over every stone without, you know, turning over every stone.
Cubs will interview Gabe Kapler and Joe Espada this week for manager's job
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) October 14, 2019
Then again, the Kapler stone is one that perhaps should remain right where it is. While with the Dodgers as director of player development, Kapler displayed “an unacceptable lack of judgement” in his handling of sexual assault allegations against two minor league players. Maybe not the best option to come in and revamp the clubhouse culture in Chicago.
You have to wonder whether the Cubs are aiming to finalize things here in the next week, since MLB prefers a moratorium on big announcements during the World Series. By speaking with Espada and Kapler over the next couple days, it figures that a decision could be forthcoming by as early as the conclusion of the two championship series. Maybe sooner if it’s not Espada.
Stay tuned for more coffee runs and body language analysis over the coming days.