Baker firing ‘pure baseball decision’
Nats manager axed, while familiar face back in AL Central
Dusty Baker is done as manager of the Washington Nationals after two seasons, two NL East titles and zero playoff series victories.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said he told Baker the news via telephone Friday morning. Baker’s two-year deal with the club is expiring.
“Our expectations have grown,” Rizzo said during a conference call with reporters. “Winning a lot of regular-season games and winning divisions are not enough. Our goal is to win a world championship and, to that end, we made the decision late last night.”
Rizzo declined to say why he believes Baker can’t help reach that goal.
The GM also wouldn’t offer any specifics about what sort of manager he will be looking for as a replacement. The Nationals will be hiring their sixth manager in a 10-season span.
Rizzo called the split from Baker a “pure baseball decision” and said it was not about an inability to reach a new deal with the skipper.
The contracts for the members of Baker’s coaching staff also are finished. The team said it will work with its new manager to fill those positions.
The moves come the week after Washington was eliminated from its NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs with a 9-8 loss at home in Game 5 — and Baker was front and centre during a PR debacle involving whether Stephen Strasburg would pitch in Game 4 of that series.
The Nationals were bounced from the post-season in the NLDS in 2016 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That one also ended with a Game 5 loss at home by one run.
Baker’s teams have now lost 10 consecutive games with a chance to advance in the post-season. His career post-season record as a manager is 23-32.
TIGERS HIRE GARDENHIRE
The Detroit Tigers have hired Ron Gardenhire as their manager, bringing the longtime Minnesota Twins skipper back to the AL Central to take over a team in the middle of a significant rebuilding process. The Tigers announced the move Friday, saying Gardenhire has agreed to a three-year contract. Then Gardenhire was introduced at a news conference at Comerica Park.
“I’ve been here, battled here against this team for a long time,” Gardenhire said. “Always respected it.”
Gardenhire takes over for Brad Ausmus, who was let go after four seasons as Detroit’s manager. The Tigers went 64-98 this season, finishing tied for the worst record in the majors.
The 59-year-old Gardenhire was the bench coach this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He managed the Twins from 2002-14, going 1,068-1,039.
He’s one of 10 managers in baseball history to win at least 1,000 games with one team.
The Tigers also announced they will not pick up the $16-million option on right-handed pitcher Anibal Sanchez. The move comes as no surprise after Sanchez slipped badly over the past three seasons. He went 3-7 with a 6.41 ERA in 2017.
The Tigers signed the Venezuelan to a five-year contract before the 2013 season and the deal included a $5-million buyout if the Tigers declined the option for 2018.