4 manager candidates the Astros should avoid like the plague
As the Astros look to replace Dusty Baker, they should ensure these four names don't come near Houston's dugout.
By Alec Brown

Buck Showalter
Vegas odds for the next Astros manager have Buck Showalter at +700, tied for second-best odds. Hiring Showalter would be at best be a lateral move from Dusty Baker and at worst a step back.
The New York Mets just assembled a super team and imploded under Showalter’s watch in half a season. When the Astros re-acquired JV, Verlander was very open about how excited he was to be back in a forward thinking, analytical organization.
Tommy Pham, now playing for the Diamondbacks in the World Series, destroyed the Mets culture on his way out after being traded. Houston has built a winning culture that always outworks the opposition. Why would they hire a manager that just lost the clubhouse?
The Mets just hired David Stearns to be their president. Stearns played a big role in the Astros rise under Jeff Luhnow, and was one of the msot sought-after executives on the market. If Stearns, one of the best execs that has ever been in the Astros front office, wanted to move on from Showalter, that should be a sign for the Astros to steer clear.
The Astros managed to get Dusty Baker over the hump for his first ring, but they aren't a charity organization. If Buck Showalter is to win his first ring, and for that matter, pennant, it's going to have to be elsewhere.