The Washington Nationals hired Dusty Baker as their new manager on Tuesday. The deal is for two years.
Baker replaces Matt Williams, who was fired last month because his lack of prior experience became a problem for the team, according to the Associated Press.
The hiring of Baker is a surprise as Bud Black was the Nationals choice for the job. Black was offered the job and accepted it last Wednesday, but they didn’t come close to reaching a deal, USA Today notes. Black had originally been offered a one-year, $1.6 million deal and the Nationals refused to guarantee more than two years.
"I am so pleased to welcome Dusty Baker to the Nationals family," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. "In getting to know Dusty and identifying what we wanted in the next on-field leader of our team, we are excited to have him on board. Dusty's experience, as a winning player, coach and manager, is vast and varied. We are excited to bring him to Washington and put his steady demeanor, knowledge and many years in the game to work in our favor. I think I speak for the entire organization when I say I am very much looking forward to working with him."
Baker, 66, retired as a player in 1986 after 19 seasons in the majors. He has managed in the majors for 20 seasons, although he hasn’t managed since 2013 with the Cincinnati Reds. In six seasons with the Reds, he was 509-463. He also led the San Francisco Giants to the World Series.
Baker has a 1,671-1,504 career record, which ranks 16th all-time on the MLB list and ranks third among active managers, according to ESPN. He has won three NL Manager of the Year awards, joining Bobby Cox as the only other manager to win three manager of the year awards.
The Nationals finished this season 83-79 and failed to make the playoffs.
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