Dusty Baker will not return as Nationals manager

Dusty Baker took the Washington Nationals to the playoffs in his first two seasons with the team, but he is not going to get a chance to do it for a third consecutive year.

The Nationals announced on Friday that they will not be bringing Baker back in 2018.

Dusty Baker is out as #Nats manager, club just announced.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) October 20, 2017

The Nationals lost 3-2 in the ALDS both this year and last, and Baker had to deal with a sticky situation involving Stephen Strasburg. He has done fairly well dealing with the drama and seemingly had a good relationship with general manager Mike Rizzo, but Rizzo obviously wants to go in another direction.

Baker, 68, may end up retiring. If he did, he would finish his career with a 1863-1636 record.

Washington’s roster is loaded with young talent, so there should be plenty of people interested in the job.