Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has told people inside and outside the organization that 2023 will be his final season with the club, reports The Athletic. Neither Baker nor the Astros have public announced this will be his final season. Houston lost Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday night, ending the team's shot at winning back-to-back World Series titles.
"I don't know. I haven't had time to evaluate or think about my future," Baker said after Game 7. "Because I'm down the list as far as -- like I'm not that kind of dude. I don't want to steal the spotlight or anything from these guys. You've got to savor what we did. You've got think about how we can get better. And then I'll evaluate my situation and my life. So we'll see."
Baker, 74, just completed his 26th season as a major-league manager and his fourth with the Astros. He joined Houston in 2020, after former manager A.J. Hinch was suspended for his role in the club's sign-stealing scandal. The Astros went to the postseason all four years under Baker and won the 2021 AL pennant as well as the 2022 World Series title.
In his 26 seasons as a manager Baker's teams have gone 2,183-1,862 (.540) and won three pennants (2002, 2021, 2022). He is a three-time Manager of the Year (1993, 1997, 2000) and his 2,183 wins are seventh all-time. Baker managed the San Francisco Giants (1993-2002), Chicago Cubs (2003-06), Cincinnati Reds (2008-13), Washington Nationals (2016-17), and Astros (2020-23).
Prior to his managerial career, Baker was a terrific player. The former outfielder retired as a .278/.347/.432 hitter with 242 home runs and 1,981 hits in parts of 19 seasons with the Atlanta Braves (1968-75), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-83), San Francisco Giants (1984), and Oakland Athletics (1985-86). Baker was also credited with the first ever high-five in 1977.
Baker fell off the BBWAA's Hall of Fame ballot in his first year of eligibility as a player in 1992. He will be eligible as a manager when the Hall of Fame's Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee meets in 2026. He's a slam dunk Hall of Famer as a manager and especially when you consider his entire baseball career.
The Astros could join the Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, and possibly the Milwaukee Brewers as teams seeking a new manager this offseason.
