Nats backing away from Bud Black over contract terms, hiring Dusty Baker instead

This is one of those moves that, if it had happened to the Orioles, would have sent the OH into orbit about the way things were handled.

Word leaked out about a week ago that the Nats were hiring Bud Black to be their manager, though an announcement would not be made until after the World Series. Since then, the local media (Washington Post, etc.) has written numerous articles about Black and what a good choice he is for the job.

Except he's not taking the job. The Nats wanted to pay him less than $2 mm over two years, he felt insulted by that, and now there's no deal.

Back to the drawing board and Dusty Baker. There have been some indications that the Lerner family preferred Baker all along, but had deferred to Rizzo, who preferred Black. But then they went cheap on Black, and now they are ending up with Baker.

There's a lot of intrigue here, and I'm sure more will come out in the next few days. But the Nats look pretty awkward here.

Head scratcher. Baker isn't awful and indeed has the better resume than Black on paper but given his reputation for mishandling pitching and that being a Nats problem in the Williams year. Other thing I don't get is low balling Black. Money hasn't been a problem for then before but you're right if our FO were in this, it would be rightfully criticized.

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Head scratcher. Baker isn't awful and indeed has the better resume than Black on paper but given his reputation for mishandling pitching and that being a Nats problem in the Williams year. Other thing I don't get is low balling Black. Money hasn't been a problem for then before but you're right if our FO were in this, it would be rightfully criticized.

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They have a very good pitching staff and I thought that was the key to the Black hiring, was his strong suit was handling pitchers.

They have a very good pitching staff and I thought that was the key to the Black hiring, was his strong suit was handling pitchers.

Yeah thought Black was a good choice for that reason.

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This is a huge blunder by the Nationals. Black was the correct choice, imho, due to his experience as pitching coach and success with the Padres. Baker is very old school and has a reputation of ruining pitching staffs. They spend $200 million on Scherzer and yet they can't pay a good manager a decent wage and guarantee more than one year? Black was right in turning down this low ball offer. We'll see how Scherzer and Strasburg do under Baker.

This is a huge blunder by the Nationals. Black was the correct choice, imho, due to his experience as pitching coach and success with the Padres. Baker is very old school and has a reputation of ruining pitching staffs. They spend $200 million on Scherzer and yet they can't pay a good manager a decent wage and guarantee more than one year? Black was right in turning down this low ball offer. We'll see how Scherzer and Strasburg do under Baker.

Exactly what success did Black have?

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Exactly what success did Black have?

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He was named 2010 National League manager of the year after leading the Padres to a 90-72 record, the most wins by San Diego since a franchise-record 98 in 1998. All with a $40 million payroll.

I know Baker has had more success, but look at the rosters (and payrolls). Given that Black is ten years younger than Baker and has a connection with Strasburg from San Diego State, I thought he was the perfect fit for this team.

Any possibility that MLB, not wanting the publicity black eye of having no African American managers for the first time since 1987, "requested" that the Nats make this move?

And of course the Nats, beholden to MLB because MLB has backed them to the hilt in the MASN dispute with the Orioles, chose to comply with the request?

On the Nats board they are saying the Lerners let Rizzo pick and then specifically low balled Black.

Any possibility that MLB, not wanting the publicity black eye of having no African American managers for the first time since 1987, "requested" that the Nats make this move?

And of course the Nats, beholden to MLB because MLB has backed them to the hilt in the MASN dispute with the Orioles, chose to comply with the request?

Seems like it was about the money. It isn't like Bud Black is damaged goods who won't get another job. Moving your family across the country for a one-year deal is dumb. He will get another shot but if he were to fail at his next shot he might not get a third, so why burn that on a one year deal on a team with high expectations?

Any possibility that MLB, not wanting the publicity black eye of having no African American managers for the first time since 1987, "requested" that the Nats make this move?

And of course the Nats, beholden to MLB because MLB has backed them to the hilt in the MASN dispute with the Orioles, chose to comply with the request?

It appears that ownership directed this hire.

Seems like it was about the money. It isn't like Bud Black is damaged goods who won't get another job. Moving your family across the country for a one-year deal is dumb. He will get another shot but if he were to fail at his next shot he might not get a third, so why burn that on a one year deal on a team with high expectations?

It looks like LA wants Black.

No wonder they never called Cal.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Barry Bonds during the 10 Dusty Baker years in San Francisco:

.311/.461/.664, 1,158 R, 437 HR, 1,096 RBI, 1,311 BB, 242 SB</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/11/03/after-bud-black-negotiations-leave-the-nationals-shifting-to-dusty-baker-the-lerner-family-has-a-fiasco-on-its-hands/

“Laughingstock.”

“They don’t know what they’re doing.”

“Dumpster fire.”

“All about money.”

The Lerners should know better by now. In 2011, Jim Riggleman resigned in the midst of a winning streak while making $600,000 on the final year of his deal. It took the Nationals months to finalize Davey Johnson’s contract details after he won the NL manager of the year award in 2012. He ended up with a $4 million contract for one season of managing and several years as a “consultant,” during which time he has done no work for Washington. When the Nationals hired Matt Williams, they gave him two years guaranteed. The same offseason, the Tigers, Phillies, Cubs and Reds guaranteed their first-year managers three seasons.

Riggleman, Johnson and Williams all had reason for taking short money on short deals. Riggleman had graduated to the position from interim; Johnson had been out of big-league dugouts for a decade; Williams had a close relationship with General Manager Mike Rizzo and had never managed before.

The man stuck in the middle is Rizzo. He has not returned calls or texts. People close to him believe he was embarrassed by the Black situation, over which he had little control.