Dusty Baker, Astros Agree to Reported 1-Year Contract as New Manager

The Houston Astros reached a deal with former Washington Nationals skipper Dusty Baker to be their next manager, the club announced on Wednesday (h/t Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

"I'm extremely thankful for this opportunity," Baker said in a statement (h/t Bob Nightengale of USA Today). "This is a great ballclub with outstanding players that know how to win. I applaud Jim Crane for the leadership he has shown in recent weeks and look forward to working with him and the players to bring a championship to the City of Houston."

Nightengale and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Baker's deal will be for one year and will include a club option for the 2021 season.

He takes over for interim manager Joe Espada, who stepped in after Astros owner Jim Crane fired A.J. Hinch following MLB's investigation into the team's sign-stealing schemes. MLB initially suspended Hinch for the 2020 season before Crane dismissed him.

The 70-year-old has managed 22 seasons in the bigs for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Washington. He owns a lifetime .540 winning percentage and led San Francisco to the 2002 National League pennant. Nine of Baker's 22 teams made the playoffs.

Baker most recently managed the Nats in 2016 and 2017. Despite amassing 192 regular-season wins, the team dismissed him in favor of Dave Martinez after the 2017 campaign. His Nats teams fell in five games in the NL Division Series twice.

Baker also played 19 MLB seasons, primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time All-Star started for three pennant-winning teams and won the 1981 World Series. He had 242 home runs and a .278 batting average from 1968 to 1986.

The three-time NL Manager of the Year is tasked with righting the ship of a franchise whose reputation has been sullied by the sign-stealing scandal. The fallout included the firings of Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow as well as a $5 million fine and the forfeiture of four draft picks.

On the plus side, the Astros retain plenty of talent from last year's team that won 107 games and the American League pennant. As Baker searches for his first World Series as a skipper, he'll be working with 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve, 2017 World Series MVP George Springer and 2019 AL MVP runner-up Alex Bregman.

Baker's first game leading the Astros will take place March 26 at home against the Los Angeles Angels.