It’s official: Dusty Baker is the new manager of the Nationals

(AP) The reign of Bud Black in Washington D.C. is over before it ever began and the era of Dusty Baker is here. The Washington Nationals, in a surprising twist, have made Baker their manager after they reportedly low-balled Black during contract negotiations.

Black was reportedly the Nats’ guy. Word trickled out last Wednesday that he’d edged out Baker for the job. But then, Monday night, new whispers emerged: Black and the Nats couldn’t get a deal done. Baker was back in the mix.

Sure enough, the Nats made it official Tuesday morning: Baker is their guy now. The 66-year-old former San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds manager will take over a Nats team with big expectations and lots of talent. He’s a three-time manager of the year with 1,671 wins under his belt.

But Baker also has a reputation for not managing his pitchers well (example: Kerry Wood and Mark Prior in Chicago) and, like the Nats, has never found success in the postseason. His 2002 Giants team won the NL, but lost the World Series. His Reds teams had an abundance of talent, but never put it together enough for a deep postseason run. Sound familiar, Nats fans? Now Baker and the Nats will try to get over that hump together.

In the Nats’ announcement of the Baker hiring, they stressed winning the World Series, so it’s clear right away those are the expectations:

“We were looking for a manager to help us achieve our ultimate goal of competing for a World Series championship,” said Theodore N. Lerner, Managing Principal Owner of the Nationals. “During our broad search process we met with many qualified candidates, and ultimately it was clear that Dusty’s deep experience was the best fit for our ballclub.”

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At issue in the Black negotiations, was the fact that the Nats only offered Black a one-year contract worth $1.6 million, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. For context: The Miami Marlins just signed Don Mattingly to a four-year deal. Black was said to be “deeply offended” by the offer, according to The Washington Post. Baker reportedly got a two-year deal.

The new manager of the Nats, whomever he was, would be under the microscope from Day 1. With what transpired between the Nats, Black and Baker, the scrutiny is only going to be more intense now.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz

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