MLB Insider Says Astros Could Have Baker's Replacement in Mind
The Houston Astros are in the Pacific Northwest getting ready for the massively important finale against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
But that hasn't stopped the speculation that this could be manager Dusty Baker's final year in charge of the Astros following the season.
Hired in 2020 by owner Jim Crane to guide the franchise through controversy after their cheating scandal, Baker has been a successful figure in Houston, winning the ALCS three times and the World Series once.
Still, MLB Insider for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal, reports that they could be looking to move away from the veteran manager when his contract expires at the end of the season, saying that an early exit this year could prompt Crane to go in a different direction.
That has been a rumor for a while, but wasn't the bombshell that Rosenthal reported.
He wrote, "Brown, who previously worked for the Braves, might want to hire one of Atlanta’s coaches, Eric Young Sr. or Walt Weiss, as manager (Brown and Young were teammates at New Brunswick High in New Jersey)."
Dana Brown is in his first year as general manager for the Astros. He did not hire Baker and could be looking to get one of his own guys into that role.
Back in June, Brown publicly disagreed with how little Baker was using their star rookie catcher Yainer Diaz, despite his production when on the field. Other members of the front office have also been critical about the lack of regular playing time for their breakout player Chas McCormick.
All of this makes it seem like there is some writing on the wall that this is Baker's last season as manager for Houston.
Whether that will come to fruition or not is yet to be officially known.
It's extremely unlikely anything will leak from the decision makers before the season is over about what their course of action will be.
One thing is for certain, the GM is ready to make his stamp on this organization.
