Houston Astros To Hire Dusty Baker As New Manager [Rumor]

The Houston Astros are reportedly close to hiring one of baseball’s all-time greats as their next manager.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros are “about to choose” three-time NL Manager Dusty Baker to fill their managerial vacancy. The contract has yet to be finalized, a source told Nightengale.

Two weeks ago, Astros owner Jim Crane fired manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow shortly after Major League Baseball suspended the two for their involvement in the club’s well-documented sign stealing scandal.

Baker last served as manager of the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2017, leading them to consecutive NL East division crowns. The Nats made a surprising decision to let Baker go after two successful seasons, but new manager Dave Martinez guided the club to its first World Series Championship in 2019, so Washington obviously isn’t regretting the move.

Though he’s never won a World Series as a manager (Baker won it as a player in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers), Baker has one of the most successful managerial resumes, with 1,863 career wins and a .532 winning percentage.

Baker also guided the San Francisco Giants to the World Series in 2002, where they fell to the Anaheim Angels in seven games. He also helped the Chicago Cubs reach the 2003 NLCS, where they dropped a close seven-game series to the Florida Marlins.

Related: The Top 8 MLB Managers Signed In The 2019 Off-Season

Baker has a long history of quickly turning around his new teams, and if he’s hired by the Astros, he’ll be tasked with rebuilding the reputation of a team that has asterisks all over their recent accomplishements.

The Cubs had recorded losing seasons in three of the previous four years before Baker became their new manager in 2003, leading them to the aforementioned NLCs.The Cincinnati Reds had missed the postseason every year from 1996 to 2009, but in his third year with the team, Baker guided the club to an NL Central Division title in 2010. They made the playoffs two more times in the following three seasons.

How much the sign stealing scandal and punishments affect the Astros’ players throughout the course of 2020 remains to be seen. For Baker, he’s about to receive another prime opportunity to win his first World Series ring as a manager.

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