BAKER’S WAIT IS FINALLY OVER
Nationals decide on 66-year-old as new manager
Last week Dusty Baker was “resigned to another disappointment.”
With the Washington Nationals reportedly settling on Bud Black, formerly of the San Diego Padres, as their next manager, Baker, 66, figured 2016 would be his third consecutive season on the outside of a major league dugout.
He admittedly assumed he thought he was out of the running when the Nationals, with whom he interviewed twice, didn’t call him to inform him why he didn’t get the job.
Now he knows why: “They hadn’t made up their mind,” Baker said as he was introduced as Washington’s sixth full-time manager Thursday at Nationals Park.
In what was an embarrassing week for the franchise, Black was the Nationals’ first choice. It was reported he was offered the position but balked after an initial low-ball offer and broke off contract negotiations, leaving the door open for Baker.
“It did not come down to money; it did not come down to term,” Nationals general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said.
“Bud Black was one of the finalists. We definitely had financial parameters discussed with him and Dusty at the same time.”
Rizzo says the job was never offered to Black; rather, the Nationals were negotiating with Baker and Black simultaneously. Rizzo called the situation a “unique process” and said his assistant GM, Bob Miller, kept in constant contact with Baker, who worked with him while they were with the Cincinnati Reds.
“Sometimes the negotiating process tells you a lot about the people you are negotiating with,” Rizzo said. “As we discussed baseball in the interview process and parameters in the financial process, we came to the conclusion that Dusty Baker was the perfect guy for us.
“Dusty, in our mind, was never out of it. Bob was giving the message to Dusty that we were still interested and told him not to close the book on us.”
After Matt Williams was fired Oct. 5, Rizzo said he intended to hire a manager with major league experience.
Baker, who agreed to a twoyear, $4 million deal, is a baseball lifer but hasn’t managed since the Reds fired him in 2013 after he led them to a National League wild-card game appearance.
The three-time NL manager of the year (1993, 1997 and 2000) has 20 seasons of managerial experience. He is 17th on the man- agerial wins list (1,671) and led the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Reds to a .526 winning percentage and seven postseason trips. In 2002, he led the Giants to the World Series.
“This is a day we’re really looking forward to,” Rizzo said, “going forward with a man of leadership qualities like Dusty, a man with his impeccable résumé, the way he handles players, the success rate he’s had at other stops. We’re looking for bigger and better things than we’ve had in D.C.”
With the hiring of Baker, Major League Baseball avoids not having a black manager to start the season for the first time since 1987. Baker knows the responsibility of that burden.
“I have felt a sense of responsibility the whole time I’ve been managing,” Baker said. “It’s a sense of pride. Hopefully I can make a difference.”
He also looks forward to managing Bryce Harper, the 23-yearold presumed NL MVP whose final week included a dugout dispute during which closer Jonathan Papelbon choked him.
“I’m not really intimidated or anything by stars, because I was a star,” he said. “I told them, ‘I don’t care how much money you make; you’re not going to give me any of your money, and I’m not going to give you any of mine.’ When the game starts, it’s not about money. It’s about whether I kick his butt or he kicks mine. It’s as simple as that.”
He becomes the second-oldest manager in the league. Terry Collins of the New York Mets is older by a couple of weeks.
For Baker, it’s a long time coming to finally return to the dugout. He takes over a dysfunctional team but one with exceptional talent and a ready-to-win-now organization.
“This is my fourth and final team,” Baker said. “Beyond compare, this is the best talent. That’s why I was excited about coming here. Most of the teams I’ve had were either on the bottom or near the bottom or had to rebuild from the bottom.
“I asked a friend of mine, Al Attles, who was with the (NBA’s Golden State) Warriors, I said, ‘Al, how come I always have to get teams and build them up?’ He said, ‘Dusty, you do more with less.’ I told him that I was ready to do more with more. I’d like to try that.”
“Sometimes the negotiating process tells you a lot about the people you are negotiating with.” Mike Rizzo, Nationals general manager and president of baseball operations