MLB Weekly Digest: Brad Ausmus Returns to Houston

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With the World Series confetti barely swept away, the MLB offseason has burst open with high-stakes managerial moves, historic BBWAA awards, and mega-dollar free agency rumors. With the winter meeting coming up, who knows what comes next.

From Houston’s high-profile managerial reunion to an unprecedented Manager of the Year streak in Milwaukee and Steve Cohen’s checkbook targeting the top starting pitcher on the market, here is the full breakdown of the biggest storylines reshaping baseball this November.

1. Homecoming in Houston: Astros Hire Yankees Bench Coach Brad Ausmus as New Manager

In a major dugout shakeup, the Houston Astros officially named former New York Yankees bench coach and three-time Gold Glove catcher Brad Ausmus as their new manager on Wednesday. General manager Randy Flores and ownership turned to a familiar franchise icon to step in following the end of Joe Espada’s tenure.

Ausmus, 57, spent 10 seasons behind the plate in Houston across two separate playing stints (1997–1998, 2001–2008), anchoring the defense for the franchise’s first-ever pennant-winning squad in 2005. After managerial stints with the Detroit Tigers (2014–2017) and Los Angeles Angels (2019), Ausmus spent the past three seasons as Aaron Boone’s right-hand man in the Bronx.

“I am very excited to be back in Houston,” Ausmus said in an official statement. “The Astros and the City of Houston have been a huge part of my life, and I’m thrilled to create a new chapter as the team’s manager.”

With Ausmus taking over at Daikin Park, he inherits a core featuring Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez while tasked with navigating key free-agent decisions surrounding Bryan Abreu and LaMonte Wade Jr.

2. BBWAA Manager of the Year: Pat Murphy Makes History; Will Venable Earns AL Honors

On Tuesday night, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) revealed its 2026 Manager of the Year awards, crowning a historic three-peat in the Senior Circuit and an incredible turnaround in the American League.

+------------------+------------------+---------------------+-------------------+
| League           | Winner           | Team                | Key Accomplishment|
+------------------+------------------+---------------------+-------------------+
| National League  | Pat Murphy       | Milwaukee Brewers   | 3-Peat Winner     |
|                  |                  |                     | (103 Regular Wins)|
+------------------+------------------+---------------------+-------------------+
| American League  | Will Venable     | Chicago White Sox   | 1st-Time Winner   |
|                  |                  |                     | (84 Wins & Playoff|
|                  |                  |                     |  Berth)           |
+------------------+------------------+---------------------+-------------------+

Pat Murphy’s Unprecedented 3-Peat

Milwaukee Brewers skipper Pat Murphy etched his name into the record books by becoming the first manager in MLB history to win the Manager of the Year award in three consecutive seasons.

Murphy earned 20 of 30 first-place votes after guiding Milwaukee to an MLB-best 103 regular-season victories. Supported by cornerstone stars Jackson Chourio and William Contreras, Murphy managed the Brewers through a dominant regular season before putting an exclamation point on his year by winning Milwaukee’s first World Series title. Atlanta’s Walt Weiss and Philadelphia’s Don Mattingly finished second and third in the voting.

Another year of dominant vote totals for Pat Murphy https://t.co/NKxGtqJOBq

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) November 11, 2026

Will Venable Ignites South Side Revival

In the American League, Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox captured his first Manager of the Year award, completing one of the most remarkable single-season turnarounds in recent memory.

Venable led the South Siders to an 84-win campaign and a postseason berth just two years removed from 100-loss obscurity. Powered by breakthrough performances from Luis Robert Jr. and a revamped pitching staff, Venable collected 15 first-place votes (111 points) to narrowly edge out Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (who finished second) and Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy.

3. The $400M Sweepstakes: Mets Schedule High-Stakes Meeting with Ace Tarik Skubal

The free-agent hot stove has reached a boiling point as the New York Mets set their sights on the crown jewel of this winter’s market: two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

According to league reports from the GM Meetings, Mets owner Steve Cohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns have a sit-down meeting scheduled with Skubal and his agent next week in California.

Skubal, 29, is coming off a stellar 2026 season where he posted a 12-7 record with a 2.72 ERA and 224 strikeouts while splitting time between Detroit and Los Angeles. As the undisputed elite arm available, industry projections expect Skubal’s contract offers to top $400 million, potentially reaching 8 to 9 years.

With top-of-the-rotation durability being New York’s primary priority, the Mets are expected to go toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Dodgers in an all-out bidding war for Skubal’s signature before potential labor uncertainties impact the upcoming winter landscape.