AP Source: Baker reaches agreement to become Astros manager

HOUSTON (AP) — Dusty Baker has reached an agreement to be the manager of the Houston Astros, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

The 70-year-old Baker became the oldest manager in the big leagues. He takes over from AJ Hinch, who was fired Jan. 13 just an hour after he was suspended for the season by Major League Baseball for his role in Houston’s sign-stealing scandal.

Baker’s hiring was a sign the AL champions wanted to add a veteran presence to a franchise reeling from the dismissal of Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. Baker has 22 years of managerial experience, starting in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants.

A three-time National League Manager of the Year, Baker last managed the Washington Nationals, who let him go after a 97-65 season in 2017.

Since 2018 Baker has served as a special adviser to Giants CEO Larry Baer, working in both the baseball and business operations of the club. He regularly attended son Darren’s college games at the University of California in Berkeley.

Baker will get a chance to chase his first title as a manager with a team that returns the bulk of its roster from last year that reached the World Series for the second time in three years before losing to the Nationals.

His hiring is a stark departure from the youth-oriented recent history of the Astros, who hired Hinch when he was just 41. Baker takes over a team that should be a favorite to contend again after winning 100-plus games in three straight seasons.

But it will also be a challenge for a man who hasn’t managed for two seasons and will have to deal with the fallout from the sign-stealing saga that is certain to cast a pall over...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/AP-Source-Baker-reaches-agreement-to-become-15014565.php