Espada has been a busy man. After the Astros clinched the American League pennant with a win against the Yankees in Game 6 on Saturday night, he met with the Cubs on Sunday before returning to Texas to continue preparations as Houston will host the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday evening.
While Espada has impressed the Cubs, sources still indicated that his second interview in no way reflected president of Theo Epstein and general manager Jed thinking any less of David Ross, a front office special assistant who has long been believed to be the front-runner. The Cubs are expected to have continued conversations with Ross in the coming days. He has served as a trusted special assistant to Epstein and Hoyer for the past three seasons after playing for the Cubs in 2015 and 2016. Ross had an initial interview on Oct. 10.
The second interview for the 44-year-old Espada could be a combination of genuine interest from the Cubs for their current managerial opening and also due diligence for future openings in the organization. The Cubs recently overhauled their player development department and are in the process of doing the same with their scouting department. One of their goals is to talk with as many bright individuals outside their organization as possible.
Espada has worked for two successful organizations in recent seasons, as he's in his second season with the Astros after previously serving as the Yankees' third-base coach from 2015-'17. He worked for the Marlins prior to that and also served as the manager for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in 2013.
Both the Astros and Yankees have done a fine job in their scouting and player development departments. Espada has been a key figure in working with the Astros players on a daily basis and understands the cohesion that the best organizations have across departments and on their coaching staff.
"He is a really good baseball man," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of Espada during the American League Championship Series. "He's smart. He's got leadership qualities. Any team that wants to consider him is heading down the right path with him. He is incredible for us. If we lose him, it's because of it's another leadership opportunity. If not, then he'll be right by my side."
It doesn't appear that the hiring of a new Cubs manager is imminent. Major League Baseball frowns upon big announcements -- such as naming a new manager -- during the World Series, especially on game days. The next off day in the series is Thursday. It's possible the next Cubs manager won't be named until the World Series has concluded.