Report: Some Nationals Players Upset By Dusty Baker Dimissal
Several Washington Nationals players are upset about the team's decision to part ways with manager Dusty Baker after they were eliminated in the National League Division Series by the Chicago Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Players are reportedly "unhappy at the continuing upheaval and uncertainty around the team, and the perception that creates."
It was the second consecutive season in which the Nationals' season ended in five games in the first round of the playoffs. Baker went 192–132 as the Nationals manager and won two straight division titles for the first time in franchise history. Next season, the Nats will have their sixth non-interim manager in 12 years.
Baker told USA Today that he was taken by surprise by the team's decision to let him go. He said, "I really thought this was my best year. We won at least 95 games each year and won the division back-to back years but they said they wanted to go a different direction. It's hard to understand."
Baker has spent 22 years managing in the majors and has a career 1,863–1,636 record.
On Thursday morning, the New York Yankees fired manager Joe Girardi after 10 years at the helm. Girardi led the Yankees to within one win of making the World Series but the team decided to move in a different direction. Girardi's name has floated around as a possible option now for the Nationals. He was on the list of candidates for the Nationals' job after the 2006 season but he decided to take the year off and wait for the Yankees job to open up.
