Dusty Baker Named Official Nationals Manager

Dusty Baker was selected as the new manager for the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The team’s original first choice for manager was Bud Black, although negotiations for this deal fell through due to financial terms and contract length, according to several sources. Black backed out after expressing a higher desired salary than the Nationals were offering – a mere $2 million for two years.

Baker has signed on for a “multi-year deal,” according to the Washington Post. He previously became notorious after receiving a large amount of criticism for his handling of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in Chicago. However, Baker has also won everywhere he’s gone. He won a pennant in San Francisco, made the playoffs in Chicago, and won several games and two division titles with the Reds in Cincinnati. “During our broad search process we met with many qualified candidates, and ultimately it was clear that Dusty’s deep experience was the best fit for our ball-club,” Nationals owner Ted Lerner stated.

He has been described by many as an “old-school” manager, and has vastly improved his role as a manager, particularly with regards to his management of pitchers. Baker was a longtime outfielder for both the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers (primarily). His career spanned 19 years. He has also managed the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs. He had been on managerial hiatus for two years, the Cubs being the last team he managed up until his hire by the Nationals. Baker is also the second minority to currently hold a managerial title among the 30 big league clubs, the other being the Atlanta Braves’ Fredi Gonzalez, who is Hispanic.