Legendary Dusty Baker returns to SF Giants as special assistant

The SF Giants have welcomed former manager Dusty Baker back to the organization as a special assistant, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The SF Giants have welcomed former manager Dusty Baker back to the organization as a special assistant. According to a report by USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Baker will serve as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and CEO Larry Baer. Baker retired as the Houston Astros manager earlier this offseason and told 95.7 The Game in December that he was in talks to return to the Giants in a less prominent role.

SF Giants former manager Dusty Baker during the 1989 team reunion. (2019) / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Baker has had one of the most storied MLB careers. His big-league journey began as a 19-year old outfielder back in 1968, when he debuted with Atlanta. He would play in the major leagues for nearly two decades, earning a pair of All-Star selections, Silver Sluggers, and a World Series title in the process. Soon after he finally retired, the Giants enticed him back to the team as a first-base coach in 1987, where he coached current Giants manager Bob Melvin. 

Baker was promoted to the Giants manager in 1992 and would go on to win a trio of Manager of the Year awards across an impressive tenure. While the Giants would only reach one World Series, and famously fall short of a victory in 2002, Baker would lead San Francisco to a 840-715 record before the two sides parted ways. It was only the beginning of an impressive managerial career.

Baker would catch on with the Cubs, Reds, Nationals, and Astros. At each of his stops, he racked up more seasons with at least 88-wins than below .500 campaigns. He reached the playoffs with each team, and while it took him awhile to get a World Series ring as a coach, he finally achieved that dream with the Astros in 2022.

Despite his nomadic managerial career, Baker continued living in Northern California. In fact, during his hiatus from managing after he parted ways with the Nationals, Baker actually returned to the Giants as a special advisor to Baer and former top baseball operations decision maker Brian Sabean before he was hired as Houston's manager.

Given Dusty Baker's years of experience and deep connection to the organization, it seems like it should be easy for the SF Giants to find a way for him to contribute. Perhaps that could entail serving as a sounding board for Farhan Zaidi as he puts together a roster. Perhaps stopping by the clubhouse to offer advice to players and coaches from time to time. Or perhaps helping out on the minor-league side of things, offering his insights to players with their affiliates in Sacramento and San Jose.