Dusty

Baker

There had been rumblings that the 74-year-old skipper wanted to remain in baseball, and all along it seemed like a return to the Giants would be a perfect fit for him. Baker will work with Farhan Zaidi on the baseball operations side of things while also assisting team president Larry Baer on the ownership side. The game of baseball as a whole is much better with Dusty Baker as a part of it.

Baker, who hinted at a possible retirement earlier this week following Houston’s ALCS Game 7 loss to the Rangers, is officially stepping away after 26 seasons in the majors as one of the most successful managers in baseball history. The 74-year-old skipper won a World Series last year with Houston and has also taken home Manager of the Year honors three times in his career. Next stop: Cooperstown.

This isn’t something that came about after Monday’s Game 7 loss. The Athletic was clearly working on this story but decided to sit on it until after the game. According to multiple people The Athletic spoke to, Baker would like to remain in the game, though it’s unclear if that includes the possibility of managing another team.

García had crushed a go-ahead three-run homer off of Justin Verlander in the sixth inning, where he demonstrably celebrated the moment and took his time rounding the bases. The Astros obviously weren’t trying to hit him though, as there was a man on with nobody out in the eighth inning and it was still a two-run ballgame. García was also tossed after the benches-clearing altercation — as was Astros’ skipper Dusty Baker.

First-year GM Dana Brown made the call. Firkus was finishing up his first year as an assistant GM in his 11th season with the Astros. Goodrum was hired away from the Brewers two years ago to oversee player development.

The contest is tentatively scheduled to be held in Mexico City again. The pair of contests featured an astounding 37 runs combined over the weekend between the Padres and Giants in the high-octane offensive environment.

He’ll replace James Click after his exit following a World Series championship season. Brown, who comes over from the Braves where he was vice president of scouting, was considered the heavy favorite for the job in recent days. He previously worked for the Nationals and Blue Jays before joining the Braves in 2019, where Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider were drafted during his tenure. Needless to say, it’s clear to see why the Astros were interested in bringing the longtime executive aboard.

It looks like the Astros -- at least with their on-field staff -- are looking to keep the gang together as they set out to defend their World Series title. Manager Dusty Baker will have many familiar faces around him once again in 2023.

Cintron has been working in the Astros organization since the 2017 season -- and has spent the past three seasons as their hitting coach. Under Cintron, the Astros had a .691 OPS in 2022 -- the third best mark in all of baseball.

Espada was one of several candidates who interviewed for the White Sox managerial vacancy before the team went in another direction and hired Pedro Grifol. He has been the Astros bench coach since 2018 and spent ten years in the minor leagues before becoming a coach for the Marlins and then Yankees organizations.