The Miami Marlins are interviewing Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro for a second time concerning their managerial opening, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid. Once the Yankees were eliminated from the ALCS by the Astros, Mish then reported that Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas would also be getting a second interview.
The Marlins announced last month that longtime skipper Don Mattingly would not return for the 2023 season, ending his seven-year run with the franchise.
Espada, 47, has become a popular first-time managerial candidate over the last handful of years, but always a bridesmaid. He's interviewed for several openings, including last offseason with the Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets. When Espada didn't get those jobs, he returned to the Astros as their bench coach, a position that he's held since 2018.
Earlier this summer, Espada served as the Astros acting manager after Dusty Baker tested positive for COVID-19.
"Exciting. I'll be honest with you: This has been my dream for a long time," he told the Houston Chronicle about the experience. "I know that I'm just filling in right now for Dusty, but it's been a great experience, especially with this group of players. They're a special group. I've been here for five years, and these guys, they know how to win. Coming to work for them every single day is fantastic. Just the opportunity to do this for the last week, the last few days, is something that I cherish very much."
Prior to joining the Astros, Espada had worked with two other teams. Most recently, he spent a few seasons with the New York Yankees, serving as a third-base coach under Joe Girardi's guidance. Fittingly, the Marlins are the franchise with whom he's spent the most time. In addition to time spent as a minor-league coach and coordinator, he also put in a few seasons as their big-league third-base coach.
Quatraro, 48, has also become a popular managerial prospect in recent years. He's served as Tampa Bay's bench coach since after the 2018 season. He'd previously been their third base coach. Prior to rejoining the Rays organization (he'd spent a number of years on the minor-league side), Quatraro spent a few seasons with the Cleveland Guardians as an assistant hitting coach. (He's also reportedly a candidate for the Kansas City Royals job.)
Last winter, one executive compared Quatraro to San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin, according to John Harper of SNY.
"I know Matt fairly well and I see a lot of similarities with Bob," the executive said. "They're both very bright, studious, and they're both low-key personality-wise but very good communicating and developing relationships with players. The big unknown is always how a guy will handle the stress that comes with managing, especially the first time around."
Rojas, 41, was the Mets manager in 2020 and 2021. He was their quality control coach in 2019 and was promoted to take over as manager after Carlos Beltran was fired in light of his involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Rojas is the son of former MLB All-Star player and manager Felipe Alou and half-brother of former All-Star Moises Alou.
The Marlins are also expected to interview Skip Schumaker, who currently serves as the St. Louis Cardinals' bench coach, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
The Marlins are one of several franchises who will have new managers come next spring. You can keep track of all the changes using CBS Sports' managerial tracker.
