Upon relieving Brad Mills of his duties this weekend, the Houston Astros named Triple-A skipper Tony DeFrancesco interim manager yesterday morning. Still, it’s not yet clear if DeFrancesco is a long-term option for the Astros. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com is reporting that the club is viewing at least three potential candidates for their managerial vacancy; Joe Pettini, Chris Maloney and Jim Riggleman:

Pettini was the Cardinals' bench coach before joining Luhnow in Houston. Maloney is the Cardinals' current first base coach. Riggleman, previously the manager of the Cubs, Padres, Mariners and Nationals, is managing the Reds' Double-A team at Pensacola. Luhnow came to Houston from St. Louis, where he was a longtime executive.

While not necessarily tying the potentials to the Astros, Peter Gammons of MLB.com also offered seven names that "should be on any managerial list," including Brad Ausmus, Dave Righetti, Tim Wallach, Davey Martinez, Joey Cora, Joe McEwing, Gabe Kapler.

With all of the early speculation, who do you think will be the next manager of the Houston Astros?