Dave Martinez Named Nationals Manager, Agrees to 3-Year Contract

The Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez agreed to a three-year contract to make him their next manager, the club announced on Monday. 

Jorge Castillo and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post first reported the news Sunday.

Martinez, 53, has served as Joe Maddon's bench coach since 2008, with the Tampa Bay Rays and then the Cubs. He has no managerial experience and will replace Dusty Baker, who was fired after two seasons with the Nationals.

Baker went 192-132 with Washington but lost two National League Division Series, both in five games. The Nationals have a history of short fuses with managers, with none of the last five sticking around for more than three seasons.

Baker's regular-season success made his firing somewhat surprising, but he was not Washington's first choice. The team hired him after negotiations with Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black broke down.

Martinez has been the right-hand man of perhaps baseball's best manager for the last decade. Maddon has developed a reputation around the sport as a forward-thinker, embracing analytics early in Tampa and then applying those principles to help win a World Series in Chicago.

Martinez's relationship with Maddon does not necessarily mean he'll be as good of a manager, but it was probably time some team gave him a chance. There may be no better open job than the Nationals gig, and the three-year commitment seems like a step in the right direction for the club as well.